Kahuna
by theravenclawquill
Summary: Elaborations of the season's episodes, with a concentration on Steve/Kono. "You see, Kono, when you put two people working in close quarters long enough, something will happen. It's only natural." Steve x Kono
1. Pilot

(A/N) Hi all! If you're here, you're probably a Steve/Kono fan like I am. :) It's really hard for me to watch a show and not end up shipping someone; and that someone is Steve/Kono for Hawaii Five-O, haha. To preface, this fic will be an elaboration of the show's episodes with a focus on Steve/Kono, as well as created events that take place in between events on each episode. There will be a small follow-up plot that take place after the episodes. Usually, I'd be wary about the repetitiveness of this type of fic, but I wrote one a SoTTP like this in the past and had so much fun writing it. Most people seemed to be nice enough about it, so I hope you guys will like this Hawaii Five-O one too! :)

Anyway, onwards!

* * *

He wished she were wearing more clothing.

It was ironic, Steve McGarrett realized, as he kept his gaze trained on the tan, tall Asian girl currently surfing the Waikiki waves – that was the first time in his life he'd ever wished that a woman he was about to meet was wearing _more_ than she actually was. _Just don't look at her that way, _Steve told himself. _Or Chin Ho will have your head on a stick. _He clenched his jaw, remaining stone-faced as he carefully watched Kono Kalakaua.

"_That's_ your cousin?" Danny Williams blurted from the other side of Chin Ho, where he was evidently faring far less smoothly than Steve.

"Choose your next words wisely," Chin responded warningly, raising a protective finger. "Both of you."

Danny raised his eyebrows in surrender. "She's very…" he began haltingly, before deciding, "talented."

"She's off the charts. Spent three years on the pro circuit before she blew out her knee. Kid was devastated. Decided to reinvent herself."

Chin continued talking about Kono's decision to join the Academy, but Steve had long since tuned him out. The famous McGarrett "laser concentration" had kicked in; his undivided attention already spent sizing up his potential new teammate. He studied Kono in silence, not once taking his eyes off her. His piercing eyes, hidden behind opaque aviators, followed her every move – her every graceful move as she carved and cut back as the wave reached its peak. His face was impassive, but his detective brain couldn't fight the rapid-fire analysis filtering in like summarized evidence – his eyes swiftly traced the muscles in Kono's toned arms and long legs: _Strong. Young. Fast. Probably aggressive._

Steve tightened his jaw imperceptibly.

_Attractive. _

"Oof."

Chin's reaction to Kono's sudden wipeout brought Steve out of his reverie. Taking the opportunity to collect himself, Steve cleared his throat and watched as the two surfers – Kono and the man who dropped in on her wave – went down in a splash of white foam.

Steve found his voice. "You sure she's ready for this?" He turned to Chin and back to the beach again. The undercover job was going to be tough, and almost impossible for a rookie. "She's got no street experience."

Chin opened his mouth to reply, but he didn't need to.

"Ho brah!" Kono called out to the other surfer, as she jogged out of the waves with her surfboard tucked under her arm.

The poor sap looked up briefly before Kono's fist caught him in the jaw. He fell backward with a grunt.

"Heh," Danny chuckled, shaking his head in approval.

Steve raised an eyebrow in admiration and nodded slightly. _Nice. _

After roughly reprimanding the guy for his huge surf faux-pas, Kono looked up to see the three men watching her. Her whole face immediately lit up at the sight of Chin Ho. "Cousin!" she cried. Her eyes scrunched up into charming half-moons, her dimples etched themselves in her cheeks, her rows of pearly white teeth exposed themselves against the tan of her skin. She laughed, picked up her board and jogged over.

Chin walked up to greet her, while Danny and Steve held back.

"Hey," Danny muttered, nudging Steve and gesturing in Kono's direction with a smirk. "Score, huh?"

Steve only stared back at his partner, expressionless. "Do me a favor," he replied bluntly. "Don't ever say that again." He walked up to join Chin.

"Kono," Chin was saying, turning to Steve. "Meet Commander Steve McGarrett."

Steve held his breath as Kono turned her dark brown eyes to meet his for the very first time. Once again, he wished she were wearing more clothing. At least more than the blue and yellow string bikini she currently had on. How could he have a professional introduction with a half-naked woman? The distracting expanse of her tanned flat stomach and the droplets of water clinging to her bare sternum were in such close proximity to him that it was only natural for Steve to want to direct his gaze downward.

In any other circumstance, he probably would've. But for Chin and for the future of his potential investigations, he restrained.

Steve tried extremely hard not to move his head a millimeter, keeping his gaze carefully trained on Kono's smiling face as he shook her hand. _Okay. All right. _He smiled back. _This would be much easier if she were wearing a sweater. _

Apparently, Danny was having similar sentiments. Steve held back a laugh as he watched Danny grin and shake Kono's hand, then shake it some more – as he lingered there far longer than was customary for a handshake.

Kono chuckled awkwardly, the dimple in her right cheek deepening.

"That's enough, brah," Chin Ho said sharply.

"Sure." Danny released his grasp, slightly embarrassed.

"So your cousin tells us you're graduating from the police academy next week?" Steve asked her.

She nodded.

"How would you like to earn a little extra credit before you do?"

Steve watched as a fire instantly fueled behind Kono's eyes. Her evident passion for field work opportunity reminded him of himself, and he smiled.

"I'm listening," Kono replied, eager one-sided grin lighting up her pretty face.

* * *

Back at the five-o headquarters, Danny, Steve, and Chin Ho were busy explaining the Sang Min situation to Kono.

"Remember, Sang Min's in the business of trafficking people onto the island, so we're going to have to come up with some kind of story that will make him agree to help." Steve drew up Sang's photo and threw it up onto the flatscreens.

"Where did you say he was from?" Kono asked. The three men turned to her.

"China," Steve replied, slightly taken aback.

Kono bit the inside of her cheek, the gears in her head working overtime. She looked up. "Alright, let's say I have an aunt and uncle in China. It'll hit home."

"Why not a mom and dad?" Danny asked, perched on the edge of the table.

Kono shook her head. "Too close. It'll be more believable if I came with my parents and am now looking towards getting the rest of my extended family."

"Makes sense," Chin nodded.

"Monetary means?" Steve prompted.

"With the kind of money he's asking for, there's no job on the island that would pay a young girl that much." Kono thought for a while, then said, "Maybe two jobs. Waitress and housekeeper. Somewhere higher up like the Royal Hawaiian."

There was a brief silence.

"Good work," Steve finally responded brusquely, impressed.

Kono smiled. "Thanks, Commander." She furrowed her eyebrows and laughed uncertainly. "Or Steve? Or Boss? Sorry, I guess I never really asked what to call you? –"

Steve chuckled. "Huh." His mouth pursed into a small smirk. He deadpanned, "Yeah, I like Boss. Call me that."

"You tell that to all the girls?" Kono smirked back, not missing a beat.

For a second, Steve was taken aback, but he quickly recomposed himself. He laughed under his breath, lines appearing along his rugged jaw line.

Danny cleared his throat quite pointedly. "Sorry to interrupt here, Ross and Rachel," he cut in sarcastically. "You think we can get back to the case before I start sprouting gray hair?"

Embarrassed at the reprimand, Kono's cheeks flushed and she shifted uncomfortably, turning back towards the flatscreens again.

Steve, instead, turned to Danny and patted his irritated partner's head before yanking out a hair.

"Hey!"

"In any case, I'd say that ship has already sailed," Steve smirked, holding up the gray strand to the light.

* * *

"Hey."

Kono looked up from where she was sitting in the HQ room. She smiled at the tall figure standing in the doorframe, hand outstretched in a knocking gesture. "Hey, Boss. Howzit?"

Steve drew his mouth into a thin line before exhaling deeply and running a hand through his short hair. He was really bad at this kind of stuff.

"Just spit it out, brah," Kono grinned.

Steve scratched his chin and trained his piercing gaze on her. He sighed again. "Look. You sure you're ready for this?" he repeated intently, staring hard. "Don't hesitate to let us know if you're having second thoughts. This is not a rookie job."

The muscles in Kono's face hardened. "I'm not scared," she said sharply.

"I know you're not. Just –"

"I can do it."

"Okay." Steve relented and backed off, stubborn enough himself to recognize the similar symptoms in others. "Okay. That's good. But just keep in mind – if you do end up on our team for good, you might have a lot of UC work ahead of you."

"Because I'm the girl?" Kono's shoulders relaxed, and she smiled to let Steve know she wasn't mad.

"Heh." Steve chuckled. "Yeah, pretty girls seem to do the trick more often than not."

Kono smiled shyly and looked towards the ground. Her undercover outfit, a light blue sundress, and soft shoulder-length hair gave her a sense of sunny innocence that highly belied her true grit.

Steve downshifted to serious mode again. "Kono, I just want you to know that we're going to do everything we can to protect you, okay? We won't let anything happen to you."

"Right. Because I'm the girl?"

"No." Steve stuffed his hands into the pockets of his cargo pants. "Because you're our teammate."

* * *

The atmosphere inside the truck was tense. It was completely silent, and the team was working in double time. With intense concentration and swift skill, Chin Ho had finished finalizing camera angles and Danny had finalized the bugs and mikes. Steve had all the monitors plugged in right when he noticed that Kono was in position on Camera 1.

_She's in. _Steve stiffened, remembering the promise he'd made his newest teammate. "We're going to do everything we can to protect you. We won't let anything happen to you." _And we're going to damn well keep it. _

"Okay, kid," Chin muttered into the headset. "Just get him to tell you how he's smuggling people onto the island."

Steve watched with bated breath, eyes concentrated on the black and white live feed images of Kono and Sang Min.

"I'm afraid the kind of money we're talking about," Sang Min was saying, "might be out of your reach." A disgusting leer appeared on his rodent-like face. "Unless, of course, we find some other form of payment." Sang Min ran his fingers through Kono's hair, smirking as he looked her up and down. This incited a low sneer from Steve, surprising both Chin Ho and Danny.

"You okay?" Chin gave him a curious look.

"Makes me sick," Steve responded simply, under his breath.

But he didn't have time to elaborate. The three men bristled. Their simultaneous cop instincts alerted them that something suddenly wasn't right.

"Sand," Sang Min was saying, voice hard, as he examined the substance he had just discovered in Kono's hair. He let the small grains fall through his fingers. "Tell me. What kind of person working two jobs has time to go to the beach?"

Onscreen, Kono's mouth twitched a little and she closed it, swallowing ever so slightly. She was nervous.

_Shit. _Every muscle in Steve's body tensed. Normally, the determined, succeed-or-die-trying cop inside him would press on with the job without a second thought, but today was different. Maybe it was because the UC at risk was new. A complete rookie. A girl. _Kono._ Steve found himself uncharacteristically contemplating cutting the cord on the operation.

_No. _He gripped the headset in his left hand, his rational side finally kicking in. _No, we can't pull out yet; give the girl a shot._

Thanks to his SEAL training and background, this turmoil ran through Steve's head behind a calm impasse of a face. Danny, on the other hand, was a man who wore his emotions moreso on his sleeve.

"Pull the plug, let's get her out of there," Danny muttered, immediately yanking his headset off and rolling over to Steve and Chin.

"Relax." Chin turned to them. "The kid can handle herself."

"Hey, he smells trap, he'll kill her!"

"Trust me."

Chin's resolute glare indicated that was the end of discussion.

Steve suddenly felt a sharp intake of breath as he watched Kono begin to unzip the side of her sundress. _What is she doing? _Sang Min's repulsive leer in the background made Steve's blood boil.

"Checking her for a wire," Steve muttered unnecessarily. He watched as Kono slowly, slowly pulled off her dress. The soft hem skimmed over her thighs, the tan curves of her thin waist, and finally over her head. She let the light fabric fall to the ground. Then she stood there, her tall lithe body unclothed on screen, her mouth knit shut in determined silence.

Steve ran a hand roughly over his mouth, not sure if he should act the gentleman and avert his gaze, or the consummate cop and treat the situation objectively. He paced once and returned to the screens. "This guy's a scumbag," he muttered, so low that Chin and Danny couldn't tell if he was actually talking or just growling.

"We'll get her out of there soon," Chin replied, just as quietly.

The time came sooner than expected. Kono gave them the balled-fist signal, and the three men yanked out their headsets.

"She needs help."

"I got it," Steve said, jumping towards the driver's seat so quickly that Chin and Danny barely got a glimpse of him. At lightning speed, he threw the gear into drive and gunned the accelerator. The truck raced towards the side of the warehouse.

The wall exploded in a splintering of wood and cement. The truck doors flew open and the three cops split up.

"Kono!"

The girl was on the floor, crouching over the bodyguard she had just roundhouse kicked into oblivion.

Steve exhaled, letting out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding.

Kono looked up at him, her brown hair stuck to her sweaty forehead. The strap of her dress fell loose as she pinned down the guard, exposing her bare shoulder. "You're early," she grinned, still out of breath.

Shouldering his gun, Steve gave her a small, genuine smile. "You're okay."

* * *

(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it. Feel free to let me know what you thought in a review! Thank you for reading, and I'll update soon! :)


	2. Ohana and Malama Ka Aina

(A/N) Hi all! Thanks for all the kind feedback on my first chapter! As promised, here's the next! It covers episodes 2 and 3. Special thanks go out tp96, watched 2 much tv, amblue36, Froggie2, x0rejects0x, Pop'n'Pop23, rice117, and Sparrowhawk1952! You guys rock! Keep the Steve/Kono love alive. :)

Onwards!

* * *

Kono ran a finger over her shiny new badge and smiled. She had done a pretty good job earlier pretending that she wasn't disappointed about missing her graduation ceremony, but when it came down to it – she had been, just a little. After all, who in their right mind would prefer spending her day being dragged underwater, almost stabbed, and held hostage at gunpoint by Russian criminals instead of graduating from the Police Academy and walking that carpet in her uniform among hundreds of her peers? _It was supposed to be the proudest day of my life. And I missed it._

But her Five-O crew didn't let it go.

Kono smiled as she replayed that afternoon in her mind; forlornly walking out of the locker room to the sight of three strapping young men in their respective uniforms – all there waiting for her. Her wonderful, loyal cousin; her new kindhearted friend Danny; and Steve. Steve. The boss, the big Kahuna – wearing that usual serious expression on his rugged face, decorated SEAL uniform, hat formally tucked under his arm_. What was it he had said?_ Kono remembered Steve's solemn apology as his almost unnaturally slate blue eyes locked with hers: "I'm sorry you were put into danger today, Kono. We care for each other like a family, so please know we'll always do everything we can to protect you."

_A family. _That's what they were now. Kono was touched at the lengths the guys went to in putting together that little ceremony. She smiled as she imagined them planning it behind her back; Danny and Steve bickering while Chin would stand off to the side, shaking his head good-naturedly. _My ohana, _she thought fondly, heart welling.

There was a knock on the doorframe. Kono discreetly wiped away a tear before looking up.

She smiled. "Boss. What's up?"

Steve, standing there in his usual black shirt and Timberlands, gestured behind him. "Uh, we're going to go get some drinks."

Kono raised an eyebrow. "Big bros letting their little sister tag along, fo real?" she teased. "I'm touched."

"You're the guest of honor, aren't you?" he replied with a smile. "Thought we could celebrate your graduation."

Kono felt her heart well to the brim again. She exhaled with a chuckle and shuffled lightly on her feet. "Well all right, let me get ready." She turned and began stuffing her things into her backpack. As she packed, through the corner of her eye, she could see Steve still watching her with his usual intense expression.

Sure enough, he waited a while before speaking. "Hey. Good work today."

Kono didn't look up, but smiled from behind the curtain of hair blocking her face. She put her shoes away. "It was nothing."

"You took down two trained Russians and kept the hostages safe. You should be proud of yourself, Kono."

At this point, Kono had spent enough time around Commander Steve McGarrett to recognize that he wasn't exactly talkative, but when he did use the few words he did, he usually meant them.

She zipped up her pack and smiled at him. "Thanks, Boss." And she meant it too.

* * *

Kono laughed as she found her way back to her team's table. "Ho brah," she nudged Steve, grinning. She set down one of the beers she was double-fisting and took a drink straight out of the other one. "Check dose wahines."

Steve raised an eyebrow curiously and slowly turned around to see two pretty brunette locals at the bar eyeing him with extreme interest. A corner of his mouth went up into a charming smirk, and he gave them an acknowledging nod before turning back around.

Kono bit her lip to keep from laughing. She gave the girls a little wave too, and this time laughed aloud as they scowled enviously back at her.

"Wait, what? Check those what?" Danny addressed the group, frustrated. "Why can't we all just agree to speak normal English? Seriously, I really would like to know why not."

"Ey, calm down, haole," Chin grinned. "Kid was just telling Steve about the two girls checking him out over there."

"This happen to you everywhere you go?" Kono asked Steve teasingly, propping her knee up against the table.

Steve didn't respond, but only smirked at her and took a long swig of his beer.

"Okay then, I'll answer for him – yes," Danny replied, pointing an accusatory finger at his partner. "Yes. I don't think Pierce Brosnan himself has anything on this man. Yet he never shows any more than apathetic interest in any of these lovely ladies."

"You forgetting Catherine?" Steve asked.

"Oh right, your mysterious Navy princess."

"Your girlfriend's in the Navy?" Kono asked. "Is that where you met?"

Before Steve could respond, Danny said, "Of course! Work relationships. It's an interesting dynamic, Kono. You want to know why?"

"Want to slow down there, brah?" Chin laughed, indicating Danny's growing collection of empty bottles.

But Danny only ignored him and continued, bottle tipping precariously in his hand, "You see, Kono, when you put two people working in close quarters long enough, something will happen. Could be like, love, lust, whatever. But something will. It's only natural."

At this, Steve briefly glanced in Kono's direction. Their eyes met, and they both instantly looked down at the table again.

Danny downed another large gulp of beer. He pointed at Steve, grinning. "That's what happened with Catherine, am I right, Prince Charming?"

Steve cleared his throat and shrugged noncommittally. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right."

* * *

"We need a diversion," Steve murmured to his team, heart pounding with adrenaline as ideas ran through his head. _We have to get Sid before Salvo does._ "Alright, Danny, I need you positioned from above with a clear shot of the mob. Chin, I need you with a clear shot from behind."

"Got it."

"And where are you going to be?" Danny asked suspiciously.

Steve smiled briefly and reached for Kono's hand, causing her to recoil in surprise at the touch. "Running interference," he responded. "My girl and I are going to, ah, look for a little privacy by the pool."

The plan dawned on Kono. She scoffed and shook her head, chuckling.

"Wait, wait," Danny's face scrunched up. "Please explain to me why you get to be the one making out with the sexy waitress while Chin and I hide in bushes."

"Hey, James Bond gets the Bond Girl," Steve retorted. "Remember? Those were your words, not mine."

"Fine, but I also distinctly remember saying that I looked like a waiter. Hence, I should get the waitress."

"I don't think so."

"You owe me for leaving the car full of girls earlier. Switch me."

"No."

Kono rolled her eyes good-naturedly, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment at the two men fighting over her.

"Hey!" Chin barked angrily. "Ladies. We don't have time for this. Sid's going to get pretty messed up down there, and you're not helping his cause."

Steve exhaled sharply, brows knitting in discontent. "Fine, fine," he snapped under his breath, releasing Kono into Danny's arms. "Just go. Take out the guards once you both get close enough. I'll be up top."

He crouched low and began quickly scaling the incline. Halfway up, he turned around and gave Kono a tiny, lopsided smirk. She smirked back.

* * *

"Really? Salvo said that?" Chin laughed, as he unbuttoned his cuff links. "He actually said, 'I should come here more often' after seeing you?"

The Five-O team was sitting around their headquarters main office, catching their first break after busting the gambling ring.

"Why do you find that so hard to believe, cuz? Always the tone of disbelief." Kono pulled the rubber band out of her hair and flung it at Chin. "Come on, I made a pretty good dumb girl." She spun around, still in her undercover waitress dress – a short kimono-style wrap that ended high above her thighs; her toned calves seemed to go on for miles before ending in high black heels. Her hair, now loose, tumbled out in waves onto her shoulders.

Steve swallowed, forcing himself to keep his gaze on the celebratory drinks he was currently carrying out of his mini fridge, and not on Kono's legs. He set four bottles down.

"So how'd you do it?" Steve asked Kono, as he sat down on the corner of the table. "Word is, Salvo's not a man easily impressed."

"Oh, man. Okay." She laughed and held up a finger as if to say 'wait for it' and rearranged her face into a sultry smirk. Slowly and gracefully, she drew herself out of her chair and walked over to where Steve was sitting.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. _Don't look, _he reminded himself. _Eyes on the neck up._

Kono giggled stupidly and twirled a strand of hair around her pinky. When she reached Steve, she stood behind his chair and leaned in close towards his ear. "Wow, big important business men," she whispered huskily, hot breath grazing his against skin. "How about a little drink before work?" Her hands ran tantalizingly down the sides of his biceps.

Steve held his breath, heart beating in ears. He didn't move; only his eyes followed Kono as she circled him in pretend drink preparation. He felt glued to his seat.

When she finally broke character and collapsed back into her chair with a laugh, Steve exhaled sharply and chuckled, shaking his head. His heart resumed beating normally.

"And that's how it's done," Kono grinned, holding up her cold beer. "Okole maluna."

Steve chuckled. "Yeah," he replied, absentmindedly. "Yeah… that would do it." He held up his bottle to his teammates and tried to recompose himself. "Okole maluna."

* * *

(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it. Please feel free to tell me what you thought in a review! Thanks for reading, and I'll update SOON! :)


	3. Nalowale to Po'ipu

(A/N) Hi all! Thank you again for clicking on this fic and all the feedback I've been getting! Special thanks to chril1, watched 2 much tv, AussieJo, rice117, Froggie2, amblue36, Pop'n'Pop23, and Sparrowhawk1952 for the reviews! You guys are awesome. :) I'm so glad to see Steve/Kono have at least a smattering of fans, hehe! And thanks for the feedback; they really do inspire me! A comment I got was about the Hawaiian phrases in Chapter 2. "Okole Maluna" basically means "cheers!", literally - "bottoms up!", like with toasts. haha, unrelated and for future ref - all the Hawaiian pidgin I know isn't natural, but just comes from being around some my Hawaiian friends every so often. Feel free to let me know if I'm using anything wrong, hahaha :)

Anyway, this chapter includes Episodes 5, 6, 7, and 9. I know, it's kind of a lot, but I realized I should probably get the episodes over with to start the original plot earlier so you all aren't too bored, heehee. Alrighty, onwards!

* * *

"Here," Steve strode quickly into the room, tossing a wardrobe bag at Kono before walking over to the table monitor and pulling up the information about the club the Reeves sisters were last seen in. They had less than an hour to make the drop.

"You're kidding."

"What?" Steve spared her a preoccupied glance before turning back to his work.

Kono walked over to him, opened bag in hand. She shoved it in Steve's face so he was forced to look at her. "Really?" she scoffed, dimple in her right cheek forming as she did so. "This is my outfit?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"They're sequined hot pants." Kono said the words as if they were poisonous.

"Sorry Kono, but last time I checked, girls didn't wear board shorts and slippers into clubs."

She chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Right. Fair enough," she said, before heading swiftly towards the locker room.

Steve turned back to examining the screen again, making a mental map of the club's parking lot.

"Hey, we're ready," Danny and Chin walked in after a while, adjusting their weapons and badges. "Brief us."

"Alright, give Kono a sec, she's inside."

"I'm ready."

At the sound of the voice, Steve turned and raised his eyebrows slightly. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again.

Luckily, Danny spoke for him. "Wow," he chuckled, letting out a low whistle. "Kono. You look amazing."

Kono smirked in mock defeat. "I can't believe people wear this, and not ironically." She shook her head and joined the men at the table.

"Alright, Boss, we're good."

There was a brief silence.

"Boss."

"Huh? Right," Steve said, shaking his head and throwing the relevant images onto the flat screen. "Alright, here's what we got. Kang leaves one of the vans in an empty lot."

As Steve continued briefing them, Danny Williams' eyes were elsewhere.

Chin Ho elbowed him sharply and glared. "Pay attention, brah," he snapped.

"Right." Danny switched his gaze from Kono's legs back to the screen.

* * *

The three teammates stared in disgust at the Madame as she resolutely ignored them and petted her vile Pomeranian. "My English not so good," she spat, coldly.

Steve's blood boiled more violently the longer the Madame sat in silence. He breathed in and out, once, in an attempt to stay calm and contemplate his next move.

Evidently, Kono wasn't as successful. Steve noticed as Kono's face hardened, a silent fire raging beneath her pupils. In one sudden movement, Kono lunged at the Madame and roughly wrestled the dog out of her hands.

"What you doing!" the Madame snapped, panicking. "What you doing!"

"Sit down," Kono growled at the woman, sounding scarier than Steve had ever heard her sound. "And _shut_ up."

Steve exchanged amused glances with Chin. _Score one, rookie._

Kono looked at them. "Give us a minute."

Steve raised his eyebrows in compliance. He realized that he would probably never mention the fact that the current scenario he was in was uncomfortably similar to a recurring fantasy of his – hot girl with a police badge pinned to her hot pants, holding a gun and telling him to sit down and shut up?

"Yeah. Sure." He tried not to laugh as he and Chin exited the room.

* * *

"Thought I told you to take the day off."

Kono looked up from her desk at her visitor. Her face registered surprise, then defeat, then annoyance. "Danny tell you I was still here?"

"Nah, I saw you on my way in."

"Ah." Kono chuckled. "Figures. I thought it was weird, given that he was the one who warned me about your constipated face."

"My what?" Steve looked genuinely taken aback. "How would –"

"The face you get when we don't do as you say," she clarified, with a laugh.

"Wow. I resent that. I completely resent that," Steve replied, still sounding slightly offended. "Come on. Do I look constipated right now?"

Kono giggled.

"Look at me. Do I look constipated?"

Kono relented. "Not… that badly."

"Not that badly." Steve chuckled. "Fine. I'll take it."

They laughed. There was a comfortable silence.

"Seriously, Kono," Steve finally said, quietly. "Take the day."

"Spare me the pep talk, boss," she responded, giving him a look. "Danny already beat you to it."

Steve exhaled and nodded in acknowledgement, but didn't move from where he was still leaning on the doorframe. He stood there patiently in the silence, knowing that Kono would talk if she was ready.

And she did. When she finally spoke, it was to her hands. "Ian Adams… was like a father to me."

"Yeah." Steve exhaled quietly. "Yeah, I know how that goes."

And that was all that needed to be said.

* * *

"I saw that."

Steve paused as he approached her, then chuckled to himself. "Kono. Come on." He waved a hand. "Get off the car."

Kono didn't move. She remained there, leaning against the hood of the silver Chevy with her arms casually folded, small taunting smirk playing along her lips.

"What, you imitating me now?" Steve joked. "Come on, get off my car. We're going home."

"_My _car, thank you," Danny corrected from behind before sliding into the passenger seat and slamming the door shut.

Steve put a hand to his brows to shield his eyes from the sun. He stared at Kono.

"I saw what you did back there, McGarrett," she repeated, smiling wider. "You letting HPD release Graham so he could get to talk to Lily."

"Is that right?"

"That was nice of you," Kono teased, grinning childishly. "So da big Kahuna does have a heart."

"Shut up." He roughly rustled her hair, letting the tiniest of smirks appear on his face before it returned to its usual seriousness. "You know, always the tone of disbelief. It's hurtful, it really is."

Kono laughed and rose to her feet. Before she began walking over to the backseat, she turned around and looked at Steve again.

"You know… you're a good man, Boss," she said softly, giving him a genuine smile.

Steve was slightly surprised, but then looked mildly pleased. He smiled back. "And you're a good girl, Kono."

* * *

Steve was moving past his childhood wine armoire when he heard it. That unmistakable noise of leather against carpet. _Someone's close by. _

He wheeled around to the source of the sound. Nick's man was inching towards the doorway, gun pointed directly at someone in the dark hallway. When Steve realized who it was, he felt his heart sink straight to the pit of his stomach.

_Kono. _

As quickly and gingerly as possible, Steve pulled out the knife he had on his back strap and followed the man. Deep down, he had the sinking feeling that something bad was seconds away from happening. His heart pounded in his ears, but he remained calm.

They were close to Kono now, so close that Steve could make out the outline of her hoodie and gun. _Almost… _The man he was tailing made a slow movement, raising his gun to eye level.

Then, all calm was gone. Suddenly, Steve was filled with an inexplicable sense of overwhelming rage, which began somewhere deep within his core and quickly pulsed outwards through his veins. Forgetting standard protocol, his face contorted into a snarl as he lunged at the man, knife-first. The knife tore easily through the man's body, which fell limply out of Steve's hands and onto the carpet.

Kono heard the commotion and turned around, eyes bulging at the sight and as the implications of what had just happened dawned on her.

Steve slowly stepped towards her, still breathing heavily. Relief washed over him like hot water. _You're safe, _he desperately wanted to tell the shell-shocked girl – but he couldn't even meet her eye. _What made you step out of line, McGarrett? _he silently berated himself. _You got the guy. But next time, you can do without the emotion._

Kono was still numb in shock when Steve reached her side. "Stay here," he murmured quietly in her ear, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder before inching past her to find the rest of Nick's men.

Still frozen with her back against the wall, Kono silently watched him go. She couldn't find the words to speak. And there she stayed, for a very long time, contemplating the fact that she had just been milliseconds from instant death.

And that Steve McGarrett had single-handedly saved her life.

* * *

(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it. As always, feel free to let me know what you thought with a review! I enjoy hearing your opinions! :) Thank you for reading, and I will update soon!


	4. Heihei and Hana 'a'a Makehewa

(A/N) Hi all! Thanks for clicking on this latest chapter! How cute was Steve/Kono on the last episode this Monday, amirite? Heh. Anyway, here is the latest update - though the updates might slow down a tad from here on out as I wait for the episodes to catch up with me. Hope these ones will be enough to tide us all over until the next episode. :)

Special thanks go out to Sparrowhawk1952, Pop'n'Pop23, Froggie2, watched 2 much tv, rice117, zebraboymom, and A Sliver of Silver for the kind words and reviews! You guys officially are awesome. Hehe :)

This next chapter covers episodes 10 and 12 - the race one and the Chin Ho bomb one. Now... onwards! :)

* * *

"You sure this is the place?" Steve slammed the car door shut and squinted around the harbor. Instinct kicked in; something didn't seem right.

Kono consulted her phone. "Yeah, the signal from the cash is coming from right here."

The team followed her, winding through the lot and to the edge of the harbor dock. The four of them stared awkwardly into the water for a while. It was a straight drop down.

Finally, Kono looked up and asked, "Anyone up for a swim?"

Chin Ho smirked as he realized that this was a job he could easily use his seniority to get out of. "Ah, sorry cuz," he grinned mockingly. "Forgot my boardshorts."

Danny caught on. "Hah. Looks like the rookie is going swimming."

Kono rolled her eyes and chuckled, like she should've known better. _Leave the grunt work to the new girl. _

"I'll go in with you."

The three other teammates turned around in surprise at Steve's offer. He didn't meet their stares, but instead turned around first, heading back towards the cars.

"That's, uh, very nice of you," Danny said suspiciously, folding his arms.

Kono followed Steve back to the parking lot, where he was already popping open the trunk of the Chevy.

"Thanks, Boss," she said, throwing him a wary glance as she opened the trunk of her red car. "You don't have to go if you don't want to, you know. I can handle it myself."

"I know you can," he responded easily, taking off his boots and pulling out fins. "But I want to. Any excuse for a swim, right?" He gave her a quick smile and peeled his shirt off over his head, revealing an rippling expanse of lean muscle and arm tattoos.

Kono pursed her lips and looked away, busying herself by unzipping and removing her jeans. "Tell me about it," she smiled. "If we get this case pau by lunch, I'm taking a long break with some massive wave action."

"I hear you." Steve dropped his goggles around his neck. "Ready?"

"Uh, yeah. Hold on." Kono looked down at the zipper of her hoodie, which was stubbornly caught in the buckle of her wetsuit vest. She pulled a face as she roughly pulled it back and forth, to no avail.

"Here, I got it." Steve walked over and took the zipper from her. He examined the jam with as much concentration as a bomb diffuser's, head hovering near the crook of her neck, their arms brushing every so often. The bottom of her hair grazed his unshaven cheek. Without meaning to, Kono found herself holding her breath.

Steve carefully pulled the stuck fabric out of the buckle, then tugged on the zipper until it finally gave way. Kono's hoodie instantly sprung apart, revealing the teal bikini she had on underneath.

There was a silence as Steve and Kono both stared awkwardly down at her body.

"Thanks, Boss," Kono broke the silence hesitantly. "But aren't you supposed to at least buy me dinner first?" She grinned slyly.

"Ha, very funny," Steve chuckled mirthlessly, still mildly taken aback.

Kono gave him a smirk and a clap on the shoulder in thanks before strapping her vest shut and heading back toward the harbor. Steve stood there for a while longer before finally shutting his trunk and following after her.

* * *

The hairs on Steve McGarrett's arms stood on end. He was starting to break into a cold sweat – which usually meant that he felt that there was a big problem rapidly approaching. And his feelings were usually right.

"This was never about the money," Victor Hesse growled, his loathsome face contorted in satisfaction. "This is about honor, unfinished business. This is about looking into your eyes when I kill a man who serves under you, who you are responsible for."

_No. No, no, no. _A bead of sweat formed on Steve's forehead. "So you didn't care about getting the money."

Victor rolled his eyes heavenward. "I lied." He lifted the detonator.

Steve set his jaw. "Now."

Up on the hill, Kono pulled the trigger.

* * *

Kono jogged down the incline, her trainers pounding the sand. She could see Steve's figure standing within the dried grass, staring down in silent disappointment at the backpack in the dying fire. His brow was furrowed; Kono could almost see the tumultuous thoughts churning inside his head.

"Hey." She finally reached him and put her hands on her knees, out of breath. When he didn't respond, she took him by the shoulder and shook him slightly. "Hey. Look at me. Don't worry about the money. It's not your fault; you didn't know Victor was going to do that."

Hearing the name seemed to wake Steve out of his daze. He turned to Kono, as if suddenly remembering something.

"Good shot back there."

"Oh." Kono started at the change, then smiled. "It was nothing."

Steve suddenly narrowed his eyes at her, seriously. "Why do you say that? Really, I want you to stop saying that, Kono."

"Say what - "

"I needed you to be my right hand man today, and you protected me. You're as strong as any man in the field, and most of the time, even stronger. So don't sell yourself short all the time." Steve exhaled through his nose and stared back down at the ashes of the steadily burning money. "I respect you, Kono. The whole team does, and I hope you know that."

Kono stared down at the fire too, not really seeing it. She smiled, her heart welling with pride. She had always been a modest girl, but hearing her boss' stern compliments made her feel like all the work she'd been through – blowing out her knee, dealing with HPD's constant silent taunts about being Chin Ho's cousin, resiliently graduating from the academy – was all worth it. But she took a page from Steve's taciturn book. "I do, Boss," was all she said.

His phone beeped.

"McGarrett." Relief washed over his face as he listened to the person on the other line. "Good." He hung up.

"Who was it?"

"Danny. They have Chin Ho. He's safe."

Kono put a hand to her mouth. She made a small "oh" noise and before she could stop them, happy tears sprung to her eyes.

Steve watched her reaction, seemingly unsure of what to do in this situation. "You okay?"

"Cousin," she exhaled in relief, the corners of lips quivering almost imperceptibly. She bit down to stop it. "Yeah, no. I'm just – really –"

"Hey." Steve walked over to her, pulling her into a soothing hug. Somehow, this protective act made Kono even more emotional. She buried her face in Steve's shoulder and sighed deeply.

"I was scared," she admitted quietly, her flat voice muffled against his body. "You know, when he told me 'aloha' right before we left… a part of me wondered if that would be the last goodbye he would give me, and I, I couldn't –" She stopped here, her voice catching, unable to finish that sentence.

Steve shushed her softly, instinctively rubbing comforting circles over her lower back. "Hey. We got him. Okay? And now, we're going to go back, we're going to have some drinks, and then we'll all go to Christmas at Danny's. We'll all be together." He tried to smile, despite everything that had happened that day. "Hey. Look at me."

Kono lifted her head. Steve's blue eyes were burning into hers.

"Okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

* * *

"Hey!"

The door to the apartment swung open, and Danny greeted Kono and Chin with a huge smile. "Hey, look who's here!" he grinned, pulling Kono into an embrace and then Chin into a big man-hug. "Kono the hero, and the man of the hour! You're the bomb, Chin. Get it? Bomb?"

"Too soon, man, way too soon," Chin laughed, patting Danny on the back.

Steve walked over to the door to greet them too. "Hey," he smiled at Kono, putting an arm around her and kissing her on the cheek. "You look great."

"Thanks." Kono gave him a sideways glance.

"What?"

"What was that?" she asked, smirking.

Steve feigned hurt surprise. "What? I can't give you a kiss? I thought we were doing a thing now. You know, island style."

She laughed as she watched Steve pretend to kiss Chin as well.

"Get off me, brah," Chin laughed, pushing him away. They pretended to punch each other several times before Chin was dragged into the living room by Danny to help with sewing the Santa outfit.

Steve walked back to Kono's side and stood there, hands in his pockets. Kono smirked. They stood in silence for a while, watching Danny struggle with the needles. Steve scratched his chin and cleared his throat roughly. He turned to Kono. "Want a drink?"

"Sure."

As smoothly as James Bond himself, Steve produced two flutes from behind his back, making Kono giggle, "Ooh, very impressive." She took one and clinked it against his. "Mele Kalikimaka."

They drank.

"You look great. Or did I tell you that already?"

Kono's cheeks flushed as she grinned. "Yeah, I think you did." She acknowledged Steve's sharp collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up and black pants. "You clean up nice, too."

Steve grinned, laugh lines lighting up his face. "However good we may look, we're not going to look half as good as Danno will tonight." He gestured toward the red tent of a Santa costume on the couch.

The mention of his taboo nickname caused Danny to look up from his work. "Hey," he called over to Steve and Kono. "You two going to stand there flirting all night, or are you going to help us out over here?"

"I pick flirt, personally," Steve quipped, straight-faced. "What about you, Kono?"

She laughed and set down her drink. "I say we help the poor guy. We don't want to end up on the naughty list."

* * *

(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it. Once again, feel free to let me know any thoughts you may have in a review! Thank you very much for reading, aaand I'll update soon! :)


	5. Ke Kinohi and He Kane Hewa'ole

(A/N) Hi all! Thanks for reading again! You guys truly make me smile with your support. :) Keep the Steve/Kono love alive! Hehe. Special thanks go out to: Sparrowhawk1952, Froggie2, watched 2 much tv, chril1, rice117, A Sliver of Silver, Pop'n'Pop23, amblue36, justaday11, Lady Krystalyn, and zebraboymom! Your reviews, suggestions, and opinions really make me smile! Sometimes I'm wary about some things I write, and you guys always say the right thing. How great is that? :) Haha.

This chapter covers 13 and 14. The last ones so far! Sad face... this means that my updates will slow significantly as I wait for more episodes. Grr. Haha. But hope you all like this one. :) Onwards!

* * *

Kono pushed open the door to Steve's office. "Boss, I cracked the encryption on the kidnapper's phone, and I think there's something you should see."

Steve barely looked up from his Sherlock Holmes book. "Danny here?"

"Not yet, I think he's coming back from the ME's office right now."

"Okay, give him five minutes. He may need this info, too."

"Got it." Kono nodded and made a move to leave. She paused in the doorway, then turned back around. "Wait. Sherlock Holmes. Are you taking Mary's lead and looking for that code?"

"Yeah. I actually think she might be right. I'm working on deciphering the stick figures using frequency analysis as we speak."

"Nice. Mary's a smart girl." Kono laughed and continued, "Pretty badass too, taking out the kidnapper's tooth like that."

Steve finally looked up. He had a small smirk on his face. "Remind you of someone?"

"Oh, so modest," Kono glared jokingly. "But yes, I guess intelligence and badassery does run in your family."

Steve chuckled. "I was talking about you," he clarified.

"Aw. You're sweet, Boss."

"Yeah, well, don't let that get around," he deadpanned, returning to his book. "Go load the images and wait for Danny; I'll be right there."

Kono smiled and gave a small salute before shutting the door.

She had already reached the foyer by the time a one-sided smile appeared on Steve's face.

* * *

"Wait, what did you just say?" Steve's mind clicked at something, as if the proverbial lightbulb had gone off in his head. The phone that Kono had decrypted was going to be key, he could already feel it.

"Hiro Noshimuri."

_Yes. Yes. _"That's it," Steve declared triumphantly, slapping his notebook down on the table, displaying the Sherlock Holmes code he had just been working. "That's the cipher. Someone gave my dad the name. Hiro Noshimuri, in code, right here."

Danny stared at the notebook with a blank expression. "You got, uh, a name from stick figures?" he replied lamely.

"The stick figures _are_ the code," Steve explained. "I used frequency analysis to crack it."

"Frequency what?"

Steve sighed in frustration and prepared to go over it, but Kono surprisingly cut in. "Frequency analysis," she replied. "It's the study of frequencies of letters or groups of letters in a cipher text."

Danny alternated stares between her and Steve, wearing the same suspicious expression he had at Honolulu Harbor. "What, you guys dating now?"

A brief silence crept over the room. Steve pretended not to hear and barreled on with his speech. In the middle of talking, his eyes flicked up briefly and met Kono's.

Kono smiled and looked down at her feet.

* * *

"McGarrett and I are headed to the ME's office," Danny said, picking up his jacket from the chair and tossing it over his arm. "We'll call if we get any hits on the Ming Wa lead."

"Want me to come along?" Kono asked, looking up from the table monitor.

"Sure." "Nah."

Steve and Danny looked at each other; in silent questioning as to why the other responded the way he did.

"You probably shouldn't come," Danny repeated his answer to Kono, keeping a cautious eye on Steve. "The car gets a little crowded with three people. And you might get carsick, what with Ricky Bobby here gunning the accelerator." He backhanded Steve in the chest.

Before Kono could speak, Chin Ho laughed heartily. "What – you think the kid gets car sick? You should've seen her this morning tailing the John Doe."

Kono rolled her eyes good-naturedly at her cousin.

"I was holding on so tightly, my knuckles turned white." Chin shook his head. "Traumatizing."

"I know how you feel," Danny pointed at him in agreement.

Steve gave Kono a look of surprised approval. He folded his arms. "Is that right? You like fast cars?"

"Fo shua. I like fast anything."

Danny choked on his spit.

"Oh, grow up," Kono laughed, realizing how that sounded. "I meant, like, fast cars, fast bikes… the road flying by, the adrenaline kicking in? I mean, there's nothing better."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Steve nodded and looked at Danny. "See? Kono agrees with me."

"Oh, well, maybe _Kono_ can ride shotgun with you from now on."

Steve scoffed. "What are you, jealous?"

"I don't know, should I be?"

Steve ignored Danny and peered around him to address Kono. "All right, you hear that, Kono? We're riding together next time."

"Got it, Boss."

Steve pinned on his badge and shouldered his backpack before putting up a hand in goodbye and walking towards the door.

"Riding together next time," Danny mimicked, shaking his head and following after Steve. "That's real subtle word choice, Coolio. Real subtle."

* * *

Danny put his hands behind his head and kicked a foot onto the desk. He and Steve gave a simultaneous "bro" smile as they admired burly Erik Estrada dismounting from his hefty motorcycle.

"That Estrada was a bad bitch," Steve shook his head contentedly, taking a swig of his drink.

Danny sighed. "Why can't I be Estrada?"

"In a world where I don't exist, you can be Estrada."

"Is that right?" Danny turned back to the screen, muttering under his breath, "That world sounds lovely."

Steve shifted in his chair. "Look, I'm sorry, but it's just obvious. Estrada's got dark hair, Wilcox is the blonde."

"Okay, but the ladies loved Estrada."

"Case in point."

"Okay, please. Stop. You're making a fool of yourself. Can we just both be Estrada?"

Steve considered this new idea. It wasn't ideal, but it was the only way he could get to be Estrada and end Danny's endless complaining at the same time. "That's fine," he surrendered begrudgingly. "Fine."

"Hey," Kono's chipper voice filled the room as she and Chin walked in. "What are we watching?"

Steve leaned his head back in his chair in an upside-down greeting. "Chips marathon." He patted the space on the table next to him. "Have a seat."

"Chips? Never heard of it."

"Man," Chin Ho grinned, voice a mixture of excitement and nostalgia. "I used to watch this show when I was a kid." He took a seat. "Got me interested in riding bikes."

Kono hopped onto the table. "Ooh, that guy's pretty hot."

Steve raised an eyebrow and gave her a sidelong grin. "The dark one, right?"

"No…" Her face slowly broke into a smile as she watched Wilcox whip off his sunglasses on the screen. "The blond one."

""Oh, that's me.""

Danny and Steve spoke simultaneously, then turned to each other, glaring.

"_I'm_ Wilcox, Danno."

"Oh, really? Really. What happened to your 'Estrada's got dark hair' argument?"

"Okay, what about your 'Estrada's got a nickname' argument?"

"You said it was stupid."

"I meant your 'Ladies love Estrada' argument was stupid. And obviously, you were wrong."

Kono chuckled to herself. For a couple of fearless officers, Danny and Steve sure spent a lot of time fighting for her attention like either jealous boyfriends or protective brothers.

"Guys!" she laughed, interrupting them before they could continue verbally harassing each other. "I hope you realize that neither of you are or will ever be either of the guys on this show?"

There was a pointed silence.

"You're right," Steve finally said, arms folded. "You're absolutely right, Kono."

"Thank you."

"So which one of _us_ do you think is hotter?"

"What," Kono half-laughed, half-scoffed at this, caught off-guard. "What – why would you put me through this?"

"Just answer the question. It's only fair."

Danny put up a hand. "Wait, wait. You don't have to answer that, Kono. We're not fifteen years old."

"Sounds like someone's afraid to hear the truth…" Steve's subtle taunt trailed off.

"Oh, and what truth would that be?"

"That – obviously – I'm better looking than you. Just a little."

"Just a little." Danny shook his head, seething. "Just a little. All right, all right, Kono – go ahead. You tell Mr. Poncho over here who exactly is superior in the looks department."

Kono was still laughing to herself at the absurdity of the situation. "Uh, _no_ thank you," she held up her hands and shook her head resiliently. "I'd rather find another head in a box before I'm forced to answer this."

With some more laughter, they let it go for the time being – at least until the episode they were watching ended. When Chin and Danny got up to fetch more beers from the mini-fridge, Steve hopped up from his chair onto the table on which Kono was sitting.

"Hey," he smirked, leaning over to murmur lowly in her right ear. "It's me, isn't it?"

She looked at him, her eyes scrunching up into half-moons. "What?"

"You were going to pick me earlier, weren't you? Don't lie."

Kono laughed and swung her legs a couple of times against the table.

"You totally were."

She elbowed him in the stomach. "Shut up, McGarrett," she smirked, making him laugh as well.

* * *

(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it. Feel free to let me know what you thought in a review! I love hearing from everyone. :) I guess this is goodbye until the next episodes catch up with me. Until then, readers! :)


	6. Kai e'e

(A/N) Hi all! Thanks for the support and ideas from my last chapter! The general consensus was that I should write something in between the episodes - either original fillers or another original fic. I thought long and hard and decided that this next chapter would be my best choice. :) Basically, it's going to take place after this last tsunami episode and before the next few episodes - in other words, an original filler in between episodes. This would also advance the original plot idea that I had for this fic. The only problem is that - from this point on, I broke up Catherine and Steve (I know, right? We can only wish, haha). So we'll just assume that Catherine isn't in my fic from here on out during the season - if she happens to appear in the episodes... we'll just attribute that to being AU. Super apologies if it's confusing, but I thought it'd be the best way to keep up a steady writing pace and also put in a little original subplot! But don't worry - I'll definitely continue the elaboration of the episode part of the story once more episodes pass. Just assume this next chapter is happening in between weekly episodes. :) I understand the weirdness of this all, so feel free to let me know about any questions you may have, haha! :)

Special thank yous go out to Druid Archer, Pop'n'Pop23, Froggie2, AussieJo, Lady Krystalyn, watched 2 much tv, chril1, Sparrowhawk1952, zebraboymom, Kestra Burrfoot, hoellenwauwau, rice117, A Sliver of Silver, SpnH50Sg! Your kind words and encouragement played a huge role in keeping me writing and enthusiastic! :) So thank you for that. Also thanks to A Sliver of Silver, Sparrowhawk1952, Lady Krystalyn and watched 2 much tv for the inspiration to add in this original filler in! :)

Onwards!

* * *

Kono walked into the headquarters lobby, where the atmosphere was immediately different. Dark. Tense. Melancholy.

"What's going on?" she asked Chin Ho and Danny. The two were pacing anxiously around the room.

They exchanged glances before Danny finally exhaled and said, "Well, from what I could garner from our already reticent Prince Charming, he and the Navy Princess broke up. He's barricaded himself in his office, and since we don't have a homicide case today or anything similarly violent to cheer him up… I don't think he's coming out."

Kono absorbed the news thoughtfully. "You want me to talk to him." She sighed. "Because I'm the woman, and you'll probably ask me to do it anyway."

Danny smiled at this familiar line. "Nah," he recited, "Because you're the rookie, and that's way worse."

"Got it." Kono raised her eyebrows and gave him a warning smirk before flicking him off and heading in the direction of Steve's office.

"Knock, knock," she called lightly, before peering her head into the dark confines of the room.

Steve was sitting at his desk with his feet on the table and his hands behind his head. He seemed to be deep in thought, staring into space.

Kono folded her arms and stood there staring at him for a while, amusedly. "You okay, Boss Man?" she finally asked.

He didn't budge. "I'm fine," he shrugged, in a failed attempt at sounding nonchalant. "I don't know why they sent you in here. I'm terrific. Never better."

Sighing, Kono walked up to the front of his desk and sat down at the corner, facing him. She had an idea – a recycled one. "I believe you," she replied. "And I don't want to talk. Right now, I'm starving and I need some major grinds. Want to come?"

Steve made a noise halfway between a loud groan and a disbelieving laugh. "Agh, Kono," he groaned, leaning back in his chair. "I know what you're doing. You're handling me. Just like you did with Lily that day. Do me a favor – don't handle me. Okay? I'm not a kid."

"I'm not handling you," she insisted. "I'm just looking for a lunch date." She gave him her most charming smile. "I guess I just… wanted some good company, and I didn't find any outside."

There was a long silence.

Kono had made a smart move – there was nothing Steve responded to better than thinly veiled Danny-bashing.

"Yeah," Steve finally responded. "Yeah, you probably wouldn't. Danny's so wound up today that you can practically see the wires."

"So you'll come?"

Steve sighed, a deep sigh that seemed to originate from the depths of his diaphragm, and ran a hand across his unshaven chin. "Okay. Fine, why not," he shrugged, getting to his feet. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

Steve and Kono were sitting in a tiny booth at Kono's favorite ramen place on the island, somewhere down Ala Moana Boulevard. It was small and it was dark, but the noodles were a beloved classic to the Oahu locals. Every so often, their knees would bump under the table and they would chuckle and blush and apologize.

"This place is amazing," Steve grinned, slurping the noodles off of his chopsticks. "I can't believe I never came here when I was growing up."

"Yeah, it's kind of a hole in the wall, but they make the best broth on the island." Kono licked her lips and paused at the flavor. "You know, I think to make it, they totally put in some serious –"

""Garlic cloves.""

They spoke at the same time, then looked up in surprise and laughed.

Steve chuckled and looked back down at his soup. "Yeah, I, uh – Catherine used to tell me that you can't go wrong with garlic as the secret ingredient for anything."

_And there it is, _Kono thought, smiling to herself in silent victory. She prided herself on her uncanny ability to get people talking, through a mixture of patience, kindness, and distraction. Steve was definitely her most difficult subject to date, yet here he was – broaching the topic of Catherine without any goading whatsoever. _I'm good. I'm so good. _

"Oh really?" Kono asked, innocuously spooning another bite into her mouth. "Catherine cooked?"

"Oh, yeah. Great cook."

Kono bit down once. "Why did you guys break up?"

Steve's sudden change in expression indicated that he belatedly realized that he had walked right into Kono's mind games. But then he exhaled, letting his chopstick drop to the side of his bowl. "Seeing a person once every three months," he replied slowly, picking the right words, "doesn't exactly make a relationship."

There was a silence.

"Do you miss her?"

Steve looked up at Kono. He contemplated that question as his almost unreal blue eyes took in the face of the girl who had asked it. "I think I'll be okay," he smiled.

* * *

"Wow," Danny snapped sarcastically, as Steve and Kono walked through the front door of the headquarters building. "Thanks so much for dropping in, guys. Glad you could take time out of your busy schedules to say hi to your teammates once in a while. You do realize you've been gone for almost 4 hours, right?"

"Danny. Stop talking." Steve stopped to give him an expressionless glare before grabbing a manila folder off the table and retreating back towards his office.

Kono and Danny watched him go.

"At least he's working on something now, right?" Kono raised her eyebrows and grinned.

Danny turned to her, arms folded. "You know, when I asked you to talk to him, I didn't mean take him out on a date, gallivanting across the island."

Kono gave a light shrug and smirk. "Hey, that's how the job gets done. You should be thanking me; I got your laser-focused, ruthless leader back, didn't I?" She headed down the hall and towards her own office.

"Yes, thank you," Danny called out loudly, to a now empty foyer. "Thank you ever so much, Kono."

* * *

_This is funny. _Hard as he tried, Steve couldn't stop this pesky thought from running through his mind. He was currently tailing a rogue professor on the run, who was responsible for a string of cult-like murders on the island. Said professor had a handlebar mustache, turtle shell glasses, and big leather shoes. _I'm chasing a man in clown shoes. _Even as Steve hopped fences and fired bullets, that thought stubbornly pervaded his mind. _This is so bizarre…_

He turned the corner and suddenly realized that Professor Schwartz had disappeared. _Shit. _He let his gun down and put a hand to his head. _What now?_

Suddenly, through the corner of his eye, he noticed a hint of movement on the roof of one of the nearby houses. Instinctively, he ducked behind a parked car and peered out. _How the hell did he get up there? _

Steve watched as the professor's shadow cast itself along the palm tree to the left of the house. It inched forward slowly, as if the professor was crawling along the gutter towards the edge of the roof. Steve timed his movements carefully, raising his gun ever so slightly…

"Agh!"

Steve leapt from behind the car as he saw the professor's body suddenly take flight, his arms flailing as he seemed to be launched from the roof and landed with a sickening thud on the driveway. Steve lowered his gun and immediately raced toward him. _What the –_

When he arrived at the body, he found himself unexpectedly joined by Kono – who appeared, running, from around the house. She was sweating, her bangs sticking to her forehead. The front of her bulletproof vest was dusty and scratched.

"Hey, Boss," she greeted him, out of breath. "He dead?"

Steve crouched down and felt for a pulse. "No. Just knocked out."

The Professor groaned slightly and tried to sit up.

"No, no," Steve chided, shoving the man roughly onto the pavement again. "Stay there. You move, and I'll break the rest of what few ribs you have left."

Kono looked up as Danny, Chin, and several HPD officers arrived at the scene. "Hey, guys. We got him."

"What happened up there?" Steve asked.

Kono smirked. "Roundhouse kick to the gut. Professor Weaksauce went flying off the roof."

Chin Ho smiled proudly and patted her on the shoulder. "Nice work, cuz."

"Yeah." Steve yanked the Professor up by the wrists, causing the man to moan in pain. He shoved Schwartz in Kono's direction, smirking. "You get the honors today. Book 'em, Kono."

Kono gave him a playful glare and pulled her cuffs off of her back pocket. She forcefully locked them around Professor Schwartz and dragged him over to HPD.

"Wow, seriously?" Danny threw up a hand in disbelief after Kono was out of earshot. "Book 'em, _Kono_? Is that your thing now?"

"You don't like it? I think it's pretty catchy."

"Catchy? It doesn't even flow."

"And what – 'book 'em, Danno' does?"

"Uh, yes. At least that has the possibility of catching on."

Steve gave him a look. "I thought you hated it when I said that."

"Sure, I _hate_ it," Danny replied intently, "but at least that was _my _term of endearment. I don't exactly like sharing my term of endearment with other people, you know."

Steve stared at Danny for a second. "You are so jealous," he said, bluntly. "It's quite amusing to watch."

"I am not jealous."

"Don't worry, I like you guys all the same." Steve turned on his heel and walked off to follow HPD.

"I am _not _jealous."

Steve held up an acknowledging hand and continued walking.

"I'm _not_, McGarrett!"

* * *

(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it. I was concerned about this one because it was so different from what you guys know and love... so please feel free to let me know what you thought in a review! Thanks for reading, and I'll update soon. :)


	7. E Malama

(A/N) Hi all! I'm back with the latest chapter of this fic! Thanks for the patience. The last few episodes have been awesome! (Not enough Steve/Kono, of course - but awesome in all other aspects, heh) ;) Anyway, this chapter is a little short... but I couldn't exactly find the right place to end it without it being a little too long. That just means more to read next chapter, though! :) This chapter covers a bit of the tsunami episode and the latest court witness one.

Special thanks go out to: chril1, RandomPurpleBook, rice117, Sparrowhawk1952 (and for your kind messages, too!), hoellenwauwau, Rossi's Lil Devil, Pop'n'Pop23, SpnH50Sg, Froggie2, Lady Krystalyn, Jayy, aqiran, A Sliver of Silver, francis2, Billy Kelly, and i-freaking-loveyou. You guys are awesome. Every word you guys send me brings a smile to my face! :)

Onwards!

* * *

"Hey," Steve greeted Kono as he and Danny joined her in front of Dr. Russell's house. "You and Chin go inside yet?"

"No, we just got the call a little while ago. Chin's briefing HPD right now, then we'll all head in together. "

"Got it." Steve folded his arms and exhaled, glancing around the silent neighborhood. "What a morning, huh?"

"Tell me about it," Kono sighed back heavily.

Her response didn't sit right with Steve. He turned to her, arms folded. "Why? What – I mean – uh, how was _your_ day interrupted by this case?"

At this, Kono exchanged a brief, worried glance with Danny, who was silently conveying a plea for her not to say anything about their surfing lesson this morning. _Steve would never let him live it down, _she realized.

"Nothing," Kono replied a little too quickly, shrugging.

Steve scoffed. "Nothing? You're not _really_ trying to pull one over on me, are you?"

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it," Kono teased, with a straight face.

"Then what were you doing this morning?"

She shrugged once again. "Nothing!" She laughed. "And if it's so important, what were you doing this morning?"

"What – I… nothing."

Danny coughed pointedly.

"And see? I'll accept that," Kono nodded graciously. "Subject dropped."

"No, subject not dropped," Steve pressed on. He could hear himself becoming annoyingly persistent, and he had no idea why. "Why won't you tell us what you were doing?"

"Why won't _you_?" Kono was still smirking, but it was obvious that her suspicions were growing. "I'll say if you say."

Steve's face muscles clenched, the lines along his jaw tensing once. There was a brief silence. Finally, his shoulders relaxed in defeat. "I was with Catherine this morning."

The way Kono and Danny smirked back at him made Steve slightly irritated. "Alright, I kept my word. Now what were you doing this morning?"

Kono folded her arms and glanced at Danny uncertainly. He nodded in surrender, as if conceding the rights to his secret. "I was with him," Kono went on, jutting a thumb in Danny's direction.

And then, and there – for the first time in a long time – Super Seal McGarrett looked to be truly at a loss for words. Taken aback, he scrunched his face up in confusion. "Wha –" He ran a hand across his mouth and then refolded his arms. "I - " Steve turned to Danny for clarification.

"Yep." Danny gave him an irritatingly hard-to-read squinty smirk. "I was with her." (And it _was_ the truth – minus the whole "she was just teaching me how to surf" thing.)

Unfortunately, Steve took it completely the wrong way.

"I - " he muttered, unsure of how to respond.

But at that moment, Chin walked over to the group, herding them towards the house. "Alright guys, HPD says there's signs of some definite foul play."

Kono followed after Chin, but Steve hung back a little, clapping Danny roughly on the shoulder and pulling him back.

"Hey, hey," Danny protested. "Watch the shirt. I just got it pressed."

Steve widely ignored him. "You and Kono? This morning? Really?" he asked, face so confused that his eyes were practically scrunched up into lines.

"Yeah," Danny shrugged, then put up a warning finger. "And you can make fun of me all you want, but it was something Grace wanted me to do."

Steve blanched at this. _That's disturbing. _"Okay," he replied slowly, unsurely. "Fine. I won't make fun of you." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "So? How was it?"

"How was what?"

"You know. You and Kono."

Now it was Danny's turn to look confused. "It was alright," he responded. "I mean, we didn't get exactly get a chance to _finish_ because of the tsunami warning, but I think I still learned a lot. She's pretty good at what she does."

Steve gave Danny his usual folded-arm, raised-brow blank stare.

"What?"

"Okay, just – do me a favor – let's just – let's never bring this topic up again." Steve waved a hand briefly, then turned to follow after Chin and Kono.

Danny frowned, staring after him. Usually, he knew perfectly well what he was doing to annoy Steve, but this time, he had no idea. It was a little unnerving. "Fine by me," he called to Steve's retreating back before shrugging and following the group into the house.

* * *

Steve was running now, his heavy Timberlands pounding the courthouse carpet, Chin on his heels. They had received the call from Kono that Brenner's attorney was actually an assassin only five minutes prior, but Steve was already concerned that they were too late.

There was a sudden, glass-shattering crash.

_Shit. _Steve's heart sunk to his feet in defeat. _We're too late. It's over. Julie's dead. _

He and Chin rounded the corner, breathing hard, prepared for the worst. Kono was there already, apparently having beaten them to the scene. She was standing over a crumpled female mass wearing a navy pencil skirt and surrounded by glass. A crumpled… blond female mass. _Not Julie. _

The realization of what had just happened began to dawn on Steve. Kono had taken care of things. _Again. _

Chin was already one step ahead of him. He grinned at Kono and shouldered his gun. "You know, there might be few other things I can teach you," he laughed. "But I think you got the whole ass-kicking thing down."

Kono gave her cousin a cheeky, smirking scoff as a response. Then she shifted her weight lightly onto her right foot and left to explain things to Julie and her attorney.

Steve scoffed as he watched her leave, his mouth agape in a disbelieving grin and his head cocked as if still trying to process everything. The small noise made Chin turn to him.

"Close your mouth, brah," Chin teased, clapping Steve on the shoulder. "You're catching flies."

Steve didn't respond, but continued staring after Kono. "I'm probably not the first guy to tell you this," he laughed, shaking his head, "and you can kill me for repeating it if you want. But seriously, Chin. Your cousin's pretty hot."

* * *

"He said that?" Danny laughed, as his teammates finished filling him in on the parts of the Julie case he had missed out on while he was dealing with Stan. "Brenner _actually_ said to you, 'you must be my conjugal visit'?"

"Yes," Kono laughed, throwing her hands up in mock frustration. "Why do you find that so hard to believe? Always the tone of disbelief – from all three of you. It's hurtful, it really is." She waved the top of her beer bottle around the circle, glaring accusatorily.

"It's not that I don't believe you," Danny insisted, clasping his hands together. "It's just hard for me to imagine someone as powerful as Brenner saying something so sleazy." He shrugged. "Guess even murderers have their weaknesses, huh?"

"Ugh, he grossed me out," Kono shuddered, remembering the way Brenner had leered at her. "Like, seriously though – could you even imagine me as anyone's conjugal visit?"

There was a brief silence.

"Great. And now you guys are imagining it." Kono sighed and shot Steve and Danny jokingly dark glares. "Stop it, you sleazes."

Steve laughed good-naturedly as she back-handed him in the chest.

"Seriously," Chin grinned. "Seems like we can't go a single case without some shady bad guy hitting on the kid."

Kono raised her eyebrows and smirked playfully. "The team's lucky I'm such an asset, eh cuz?"

As if anticipating a response, Chin turned to his left just as Danny's mouth opened with a wry smirk. "If you even make a pun on that, brah," Chin warned him, "I'll put your head in yours."

* * *

Kono was in the middle of filing away the final reports when Steve peered into the office. "Hey," he nodded at her, "Want to get some food?"

"Yeah, sure," Kono replied, shutting the file cabinet. "I'll text Chin."

Steve opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. Kono was instantly suspicious. She paused mid-text. "What is it?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," he replied. "Just that, I mean," he cleared his throat, "I was thinking, just us again."

A wide smirk slowly spread onto Kono's face. She folded her arms and pursed her lips, turning to stare at him. In the doorway, Steve resolutely avoided her knowing gaze and stared at his watch, his shoes, anywhere but at her. Kono knew she was tormenting him with her silence, but it was far too fun.

"Just… _us_, huh?" The dimples in her cheek deepened with her smug smirk.

"Yeah." Steve shrugged nonchalantly. "I mean, you don't have to if you –"

"No, no, I want to." Kono grinned and shrugged on her sweater. When she passed by Steve in the doorway, she stopped and slid a thin arm around his waist. Steve inhaled sharply, heart skipping a beat. Their bodies were millimeters apart now, a fact that he couldn't help but notice.

Without breaking eye contact with Steve, Kono boldly reached into his back pocket and pulled out the keys to his Chevy. She dangled them from her index finger. "I'll drive."

Steve slowly let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding.

Kono suppressed a giggle as she left the room. Messing with McGarrett was way too easy.

* * *

(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it. Feel free to let me know what you all thought in a review! Thanks again for reading, and I'll update soon! :)

Edit: Oh my, I just received an excellent review from dimonyo-anghel that asked, "I thought Steve and Catherine broke up last chapter?" GREAT CATCH! I must've moved around some passages and goofed on the plot order. So my explanation will just be that they're still broken up, but a moment of weakness on Steve's part. And looking back on this chapter, it kind of works - since he was so reluctant to share what he was doing that morning with Kono and Danny. Sorry for the confusion! :)


	8. Powa Maka Moana

(A/N) Hi all! Thanks for clicking on this latest chapter. Once again, it's a little short (I know! I promised it'd be longer... next week, I promise it will be, lol) but I hope you like it regardless! Special thanks go out to: amblue36, Pop'n'Pop23, Druid Archer, A Sliver of Silver, zebraboymom, RandomPurpleBook, dimonyo-anghel, watched 2 much tv, Sparrowhawk1952 (you are seriously as observant for Steve/Kono moments as I am, haha. love it!), Froggie2, aqiran, rice117, francis2, SpnH50Sg, and Lady Krystalyn! You guys are awesome and I always look forward to reading what you all have to say. So you guys rock! :)

Onwards...

* * *

Kono slid into the booth and flashed the waiter a charming grin as he handed her the laminated menu. The young man responded with a one-sided smirk, then gave her an appreciative glance up and down that went unnoticed by Kono.

Her constantly hawk-eyed lunch partner, however, noticed.

"That's good, brah," Steve snapped at the waiter, a little harsher than he meant to as he snatched the menu from him.

"No problem. Let me know if you need anything."

"Right."

Steve gave the kid a thin-lipped smile as he walked away, then slid into the booth across from Kono. The two sat in silence for a while, intrigued by the lunch specials. Kono spoke first.

"So, are you getting back together with Catherine?"

It was simply polite conversation, so Kono had no idea why it came out sounding the way it did. Overly curious – intrusive, almost – like she'd been waiting to ask – _and I absolutely have not_.

Steve looked at her, then down at his menu again. "No. That morning – no… I think it was more like a final… closure. For both of us."

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

They smiled at each other and retreated back into silence.

"So you know what you're going to order yet?"

"Did you sleep with Danny?"

Kono choked on her spit. Her eyebrows shot skyward. "What?" She squinted at Steve and almost laughed. "What are you talking about?"

"Have you ever slept with Danny?"

"_No_!" Kono laughed, turning red. "No – God – I don't even – why would you –"

"Sorry." Steve belatedly realized his misunderstanding and chuckled. "Just – something he said to me once that I wasn't sure about."

"Oh God." Kono's cheeks were still flushed. She chuckled uncomfortably and looked down at her menu too, her dark curtain of hair hiding her face. "Well, that was awkward."

"Forget I ever asked. So I think I'm going to go with the Kobe burger."

"Good pick. I'll get the teriyaki chicken burger. It comes with tempura."

There was a brief silence.

"Kono?"

"Hm?" She looked up at him.

"Do me a favor." Steve's blue eyes were locked on hers.

"What?"

"Don't… don't sleep with Danny. Okay?"

Slowly, the corners of Kono's mouth curled upwards into a smug smirk. She gave Steve a knowing look. "I won't," she replied slowly, thoughtfully.

"Ever."

"I won't," she reassured him.

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Good."

"Good."

Kono gave a tiny smile down at her hands. Across from her, Steve exhaled silently to himself.

* * *

The 5-0 team stood on the deck of the small Coast Guard boat as it quietly sped farther into the open Waikiki waters. The atmosphere was somber as Steve finished briefing them on the contents of the call he had just received. Apparently, a party boat had just been hijacked by local pirates – and the twelve college students onboard had gone missing.

"You think they were specifically targeted?" Danny asked, squinting against the sun.

Kono put down her binoculars. "They're just college kids on vacation."

Chin nodded. "Don't know. Doesn't mean one of them couldn't have gotten a little crazy one night, said the wrong thing to the wrong stranger, mixed with the wrong crowd."

Kono chuckled humorlessly and raised the binoculars to her face again. "Yeah, that sounds like spring break, all right."

Danny folded his arms and tutted in approval. "Oh, really? Watch out, our little rookie not as innocent as she looks. You, uh, you have some crazy spring break stories you want to share with the class?"

She smirked, eyes still trained on the open sea. "Mm, none like yours, Danny."

"What, no trips to Miami, boat parties in the harbor, no police coming by at 4 am to tell your drunk asses to go home?"

"More like, clubbing in Waikiki, wet t-shirt parties, abusing our gender to get free shots."

"Touché."

Kono spared him a smirk before turning back to her binoculars.

"So, any chance you'll be participating in any of the wet t-shirt contests this week?" Danny asked innocently.

Kono laughed, her voice like chimes. "Not a chance."

Behind her, Steve folded his arms against his vest. "That's a shame."

Kono turned to him and gave him a sly grin. "Doesn't mean I'll rule out abusing my gender for a free shot, though."

"Right," Steve squinted out at the sea, arms still folded. He shifted his weight. "How about this – when we find these kids and get them back alive… I buy the pretty girl I work with a drink." He finally met her eye and gave her a lopsided smirk.

Kono returned with another one of her skeptical sidelong glances. Finally, she replied with a smirk, "Yeah, okay. Sounds good."

And with that, Kono returned to her scouting and Steve to his stoic supervising – leaving their other two teammates suspiciously alternating glances. Before anyone could make a comment, however, Kono suddenly raised an arm. "Look," she called, pointing to an ominously free-floating ship in the distance. "There it is."

* * *

Steve watched as the young students spilled into the room, from his spot behind the podium: slightly away from the crowd, blending into the walls like an unseen guardian, wanting to be invisible as to not intrude on the moment. Names began to be cried out – "Jenny! Tyler!" – in voices wobbly and thick with unshed tears, voices so overcome with emotion that the students could never again question, for as long as they lived, just how much their parents loved them. Parents hugged their children so tightly that it seemed as if they never wanted to let go again – fingernails digging into fabric, sobs spilling onto collars. The Hilton ballroom was a scene of happy tears, relief, pure uninhibited joy; a beautiful sight to witness.

And through it all, Steve stood silently, mentally grappling with the fact that he and his team had been responsible for this. _This__. Moments like these that validate everything we do. This is why we do this. _The feeling of reward, of pride – of knowing that he had even the slightest hand in making such happiness possible – was overwhelming enough to make a grin break out on his face; slowly at first, but then infectiously, as it raced towards his ears and made his heart spill over with warmth.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kono.

She was smack dab in the middle of the crowd – wandering in slow motion through the reunited families, glancing around her with an expression of dreamy bliss – as if taking it all in, every possible second, every atom of positive energy radiating through the room.

Steve smiled to himself.

It was a crystallizing picture, really: Kono, the quintessential rookie, so good at being strong, but still soft enough inside to be swept up in the emotional rewards that came with a mission like this. Steve rested his chin on his hand as he watched her. He smiled.

Suddenly, Kono glanced in his direction, giving him a one-sided smile when she caught his eye. Even from across the room, Steve could see the look in her eye – the same one he had: that look that said so clearly, _This__. This is what we live for. This makes all the work we do worth it._

Steve gave her a small nod from behind his fist. _It does. _Their moment was briefly interrupted when a mother pulled Kono in for a hug, and Steve pushed himself off the podium into an upright position.

Danny and Chin had been standing a few feet behind him. "Where are you going?" Danny asked, when Steve began meandering through the crowd towards the middle of the room.

Steve didn't answer.

Danny was about to head after him when Chin, surprisingly, stopped him short. He shook his head lightly. "It's okay, brah."

Steve and Kono met in the middle of the ballroom. There was a brief silence as each one smiled at the other.

"We did it."

Kono exhaled sharply and gave a tiny smile, nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, we did."

"You okay?"

"I just wish –" She squeezed her eyes shut briefly. Her words came out in a fervent mutter. "Tell me it'll always be this good."

Steve was slightly taken aback. He didn't know how to respond. He didn't want to lie, but he couldn't tell her no – that, no, there are days where a single piece of missing evidence can let a guilty man walk, that sometimes they can't solve the case in time, that sometimes an irreversible misstep can leave you finding a young boy's body on the beach or listening to your own father get shot. As he stared down at Kono's dulled eyes, he found himself at a loss for words.

"Hey." Steve reached out and drew Kono into a wordless hug. Kono stiffened, but eventually let herself be pulled in, exhaling as she rested her forehead against Steve's sturdy chest.

Steve smiled and rested his chin on the top of Kono's head, tracing comforting circles into her lower back. And there they stood for a long time, their bodies camouflaged within the sea of all the other embraces in the room.

* * *

(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it. It was a little more serious, but I absolutely LOVED the end of this last episode when Steve and Kono had their intense eye-contact moment. It really spoke to me though, haha. Well, let me know what you guys thought! Once again, thanks for reading, and I'll update soon! :)


	9. Loa Aloha

(A/N) Hi all! I update this fic with doubly sad news - which I'm sure you may have already heard. By now, you may have heard about both the show's hiatus (UH, one whole month? Whattheheck.) AND the new character they're going to add to the team (ANOTHER girl - Larisa Oleynik, if any of you other 90's babies remember The Secret Life of Alex Mack - who's going to be Steve's love interest)? DOUBLE WHAT THE HECK! no seriously - the team is doing just fine with Kono as resident kickass female... and Steve is doing JUST FINE with no love interest except his teammates (and we Steve/Kono shippers know which teammate we're leaning towards). Yeah, so overall - not a great news week for me and H50, haha. Arg. So the way I see it - I have 2 choices: either put this fic on a matching hiatus with the show and start again in April, or write some more original plotlines and finish it off before the show comes back (I _do _have an ending in mind, btw! ;]). Let me know if you guys have any input. :)

Thank you's go out to amblue36, Pop'n'Pop23, aqiran (oh my, can I just say how much your review made me smile like a crazy person? haha), Froggie2, alekeneka, watched 2 much tv, Denese925, Sparrowhawk1952, rice117, zebraboymom, chril1, laxgrl21, francis2, RandomPurpleBook, ExodusBeteNoire (you were my 100th review, whoop!), A Sliver of Silver (I _totally _know what you mean! Every time they were in the same scene, I kept waiting for sparks to fly, hahah), and CaffeineKiddo! You guys all bring smiles to my face. Continue being fantastic and awesome. ;)

This chapter covers this latest Loa Aloha episode and a little bit further into the future. And it's super lengthy this time to make up for the potential hiatus (womp). Also, I had fun writing the culmination of 9 chapters of Steve/Kono build-up flirting. _Finally, _they took some action. Oh, you silly characters. Onwards!

* * *

Kono remembered the clouded impasse of the judge's dark eyes and, immediately, the bile rose to her throat. Pulling a face, she leaned over the side of her chair and threw up into her trash can. _God. Pull yourself together._

All afternoon, Kono hadn't been able to get the judge's face – as blank and lifeless as his only daughter's body – out of her head. In the past, Steve had always been the one to take on the most difficult conversations the team had to make – breaking the news to the parents about their son being found dead on the beach, to the wife who lost her husband – and until today, Kono had never fully appreciated just how much strength that required on Steve's part. _I can't even imagine. _

Interrogating the judge had been the hardest conversation she'd had to make since she'd joined the task force: watching a man who'd just lost his child keep himself from falling apart in front of her, yet being required to push him to answer more questions. _I know this is difficult, _Kono had been instructed to tell him – but more than once, she had wanted to stop, for his sake and for hers. Because the truth was: she _didn't_ know how difficult it was. She couldn't. She couldn't even begin to fathom the spectrum of his mental or emotional strain.

Her phone rang.

Kono wiped the corners of her mouth and picked up. "Hey."

"Kono."

"McGarrett. What's up?"

There was a brief silence. "You okay? What's wrong with you?"

Kono blinked in momentary surprise. "What do you mean, what's wrong with me? Nothing."

"I know what 'nothing' means. 'Nothing' usually means 'something.'"

"Well, in this case, 'nothing' means 'nothing.'"

Steve chuckled. "You're starting to sound like Danny."

"Huh. I resent that." Kono smiled against her will. "So what's up? You guys on your way back?"

"Danny had to take care of something with his brother, so I let him go. You know, take care of his family first. I'm going to go with you to the courthouse instead."

"Okay."

"Come on, it's some alone time with me; try to sound a little more excited."

"Shut up," Kono replied with a laugh. "I'll be in the parking lot."

Steve chuckled too, before hanging up and gunning the Camaro toward its destination.

* * *

Steve was trying very hard at keeping his face expressionless as Kono gunned the Camaro down the sun-kissed Waikiki roads – and he was failing miserably. He instinctively winced for the umpteenth time when Kono hit the brakes and easily swerved into the next lane to narrowly avoid running into the car in front of them.

Kono noticed. She shot Steve a sidelong grin. "What's with the face, brah?"

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Regretting letting you drive, is what's with the face. Why don't you ease up small kine on that right pedal?"

"Speed Demon's telling me to slow down? Kind of counterintuitive."

"Hey now," Steve began indignantly, "I'll have you know: I may drive fast, but I also drive safely. You know how many tickets I've gotten in my life? Zero."

"Yeah, well, you're a _cop_. But how many cars have you totaled?"

Steve paused and chuckled. "You make a good point."

"That's right."

They laughed.

They drove for a while in comfortable silence before Steve asked, "So seriously. What's going on, Kono?"

She cut off the slow car she had been tailgating, keeping her eyes on the road. "Nothing. I already told you."

"Don't give me that. You like to drive fast when you're stressed, you answer the phone 'Hey' instead of 'Kono' when you're distracted." He paused, turning to regard her briefly. "There's a line in your cheek that's only there when you clench your jaw. And you clench your jaw when you're stressed." Steve stated all this unequivocally; his keen observations a result of his constantly active detective brain, the rapid-fire analysis filtered in like summarized evidence.

Kono turned to glance at him in surprise, then slowly turned back to face the road. Objective analysis or not, it was still somewhat comforting to know that someone knew her that well. After a long moment's hesitation, she responded with a sigh, "I don't know if I'm just too green, but... talking to the judge this morning was just –" Her voice caught, and her grip tightened on the gear shift. "Like, can you imagine? He had to watch his daughter die. He _knew_ it was coming, Steve. His only child. And all he could do was stand there and wait for it to happen."

Steve didn't respond. It was important for Kono to talk this through.

"And we didn't do anything but stand there and shoot him with questions. Seeing his face, knowing that we're the ones forcing him to relive the worst moment of his life…" She paused to shake her head. "There were so many times I wanted to stop. It was hard."

Steve waited. When Kono set her jaw in silent indication that she was done, he exhaled and pursed his lips, mentally considering the right words to say. "Our line of work," he started, "sometimes calls for us to put our emotions second - "

"To get the job done," Kono cut in. "I know. And I don't know why it affected me so much. I'm sorry."

"Hey." Steve knitted his brows at her sternly. "Don't apologize. It doesn't make you weak; it makes you human. You understand me?"

Kono nodded.

"And our job lets us do what we can to help. That job might not include as many words of comfort as we might like – but in the end, we put those scumbags in jail. We lock them up so they can't kill again – and that's our way of helping. We just have to accept that."

Kono remained silent in thought.

Then, as naturally as if he'd done it many times before, Steve reached out to place a comforting hand over the one Kono had on the gear shift. She startled a bit at the warm touch, but then, Steve felt her hand slowly relax comfortably in his.

They drove a couple of miles this way before Kono gave a small smile. Her hand still entwined in Steve's, she playfully squeezed down and drummed her fingers on the gear shift. "You and Danny hold hands while you're driving, too?" she teased with a wry smirk.

"Not all the time," Steve quipped, straight-faced. "Sometimes we put our arms around each other."

"You two are too cute."

He shrugged innocently. "I don't know; this right here is pretty cute too."

"Really."

"What, you don't think so?"

"Dare I even attempt to compete with the famous Steve/Danny bromance?"

Steve chuckled, then in a surprising action, lifted Kono's hand from the gear shift and gently pressed a knuckle to his lips.

Kono's head whipped around in momentary surprise. She met Steve's gaze, blushed and smiled, then turned resolutely back to the road. There was silence.

"Alright, that was pretty cute," she conceded, extracting her hand from his to make the final turn into the courthouse parking lot.

Steve smirked triumphantly as Kono practically skidded the car into an empty spot and threw the gear into Park. They slammed the doors shut and, with their own faint smiles tugging at their lips, didn't look at each other again until they were walking the corridors towards Deputy Prosecutor Jim Chen.

* * *

"So this is your place." Steve shut the car door and squinted at Kono's one-story, flat-roofed house. It matched her, he mused – a modern looking, clean building with a side view of the ocean. He couldn't believe he'd known Kono for almost half a year and that, before today, had no idea where she lived.

They had just finished another lunch together (which was now starting to become a regular occurrence) and their usual post-meal shave ice (at somewhere besides Waiola for once) for the afternoon, and still had time on the clock before needing to be back at headquarters. Thus, Kono had suggested stopping by her place so she could pick up some things she owed Chin.

"Yep," Kono replied, turning the key in the knob. Before opening the door, she raised a cautionary finger. "Be warned. It's messy."

"I once found a headless man in a trunk. I think I'll be okay," Steve deadpanned.

She rolled her eyes.

Steve followed Kono through the door, down the hall, and into the white living room – where he was suddenly caught off guard by a small, barking dog.

"Holy shit," he exhaled sharply, jumping to avoid stepping on it as it ran around his ankles in frantic circles. Then it dawned on him. "Kono…" he began, "please don't tell me that's the dog from the Madame."

Kono looked up from where she was kneeling, digging through a drawer. "Fine," she smirked lightly. "Then I won't tell you."

Steve groaned good-naturedly and leaned down to scoop the dog up. He plopped onto her leather couch. "You know, Kono, you're so tough that I sometimes forget how much of a girl you really are." He petted the small dog's head and looked into its furry face. "Just a little girl with a big heart for puppies, isn't that right, Doggy?"

"Doggy?" Kono scoffed, smirking. She pulled out what she'd been searching for – an old photo album of Chin's – and tossed it onto the coffee table before plopping down next to Steve on the couch. She cupped her hands around the dog's face and cooed, "Sowwy for my boss's extweme unoriginality, Mr. Bones."

"Mr. Bones." Steve gave her a look. "Right. You name a dog Mr. Bones, and you're calling me unoriginal."

"Hey, my dog, my name."

"Fair enough."

Kono looked up at him. "And don't think you're off the hook for the whole 'forgetting I'm a girl' comment, either."

"Take it as a compliment, Kono."

"I don't see how."

"How – okay, look, you surf, you watch football, you beat up men, you know how to use a gun, you drive fast cars… you can't blame me."

"God, you're right," she muttered darkly. "What kind of girl am I?"

"My kind of girl." Steve couldn't stop the words from spilling out.

There was instant silence.

An impossibly long, loaded silence.

Steve watched Kono carefully; the muscles in her jaw were tensing and releasing as she slowly bit the inside of her cheek, her hand was hovered over Mr. Bones in mid-stroke, her eyes were flickering between the dog, the wall, and Steve's face.

Steve pulled a face. "Look, Kono, I didn't –"

"Stop talking." Kono shook her head and smirked at the concerned look on Steve's face. "You'll ruin it." She raised a hand to his cheek.

That was all the invitation Steve needed.

In one (obviously practiced) lightning-quick movement, he had pushed Kono to the other side of the couch, pinning her against the arm. He had one hand in her hair and the other gripping the couch next to her waist.

Mr. Bones leapt off the couch, miffed at being squeezed out of the picture.

Kono draped her hair over the arm of the chair and wrapped her arms lightly around Steve's neck. "Wow, Boss," she grinned playfully. "Very smooth. Do this often?"

Steve grinned down at her, enjoying having her tall but slender frame in his arms. He had wanted to do this for a long time – a very long time. "You're easily impressed," he murmured, in a low voice. "Come here." He buried his face into the side of Kono's neck and bit her ear softly, making her eyes shut involuntarily.

"Mm," she sighed, contentedly. "There." She moved one of her hands beneath his shirt, tracing the outline of his impressive muscles. Then she switched direction. This seemed to have the correct effect on Steve, as he instantly froze against her neck and seemed to fall slack against her body.

"_Okay_," he muttered, his voice low and gravelly. "All right. Kono came to play, did she?" He grinned and Kono giggled.

Steve sat up a little and pulled his black t-shirt over his head in one smooth motion. He chuckled inwardly as he saw Kono break into a dimpled smirk. In response, he ran his hands under her ribbed tank top, pulling it up slowly over her smooth expanse of stomach and over her compliantly outstretched arms.

Steve groaned happily when their lips finally, finally crashed together in a fit of passion, unable to be kept apart any longer. He explored her mouth as his hands ran hungrily up her long legs and into her jean shorts. He instinctively repositioned himself over her.

"No, wait, wait, don't," Kono breathed, suddenly breaking apart from him. Steve's hands were still roaming, his face still comically arranged mid-kiss.

"Why?" he muttered sharply.

"We can't," Kono said, squirming underneath him. Steve released her and sat up, legs still entangled between hers.

"Okay..."

"Not… that. Not today," Kono clarified with a brief smile, pushing herself up into a sitting position and pulling her hair into a ponytail. "I just… need some time to think about it. Is that okay?"

Steve shrugged valiantly, trying to look unperturbed. "That's fine. Why don't you just let me know when," he half-joked, reaching for his shirt and redoing his cargo pants.

Kono was already pulling on her tank top and tucking Chin's photo album under her arm. "We should get back to headquarters anyway," she smiled at him. "They'll probably be wondering where we are."

"Yeah." He made a move to stand up, then stopped short.

"What's up?" Kono turned back to him.

"Hold on," he grimaced, sitting back down. "I may need a second."

* * *

(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it! Feel free to let me know any of your thoughts in a review. Thanks for reading, and I hope hope hope to update soon. :)


	10. Na Me'e Laua Na Paio

(A/N) Hi everyone! Ok, before I start, let me just say... you are more than welcome to hate me right now, haha. I know I said I would consider writing in between the show hiatus (and most of you actually encouraged me to do so), but things got really hectic on the real-world side of life. (which always sucks.) Also, I had spring break in between (interestingly, I actually went to Hawaii with my roommates! hahah. and even more interesting - I actually saw Scott Caan at a restaurant and got to talk to him briefly! If anything, my Danny character should be more accurate now that I got to meet him LOL) so that cut down on even more writing time. So I really wanted all of you to know that I wasn't ignoring your suggestions to keep writing - if anything, I was even more inspired by it to come back swinging! :) So my biggest apologies for not writing fillers in between the hiatus; I had fully intended to. Life just got the best of me, whompwhomp. :(

But I'm back! Totally wasn't feeling the new Jenna character (I know a lot of you have reassured me that she won't be recurring or Steve's love interest, but does it seem like they're heading in that direction? I might just being a paranoid fangirl as usual, hahah). That last scene where Steve was supposed to meet up with Jenna at the ramen place? Uh, one-on-one noodle dinners? That's supposed to be Kono's domain, via my last few chapters - come on! Hahah, okay, end bitter rant. Anyway, Jenna's throwing in some twists to my fic, something I had never anticipated until I started writing this latest chapter, actually. So it turned out a little long, but I hope this acts as a little reward for putting up with my absence. :) Hope you all enjoy.

Special thanks go out to these amazing, helpful, inspiring people: francis2, Druid Archer, zebraboymom, tdolphins27, sparkesann, gizmo1204, rice117, Froggie2, Merl Laurence, CaffeineKiddo, watched 2 much tv, Sparrowhawk1952, Pop'n'Pop23, coolcookie, RandomPurpleBook, YellowTang, cdnyellowrose, JenB, annaliesegrace, tp96, .lover, Lady Krystalyn, Jubilee 7, A Sliver of Silver, jodiesto, sammie28, samantha, Martha Smith Jones, and BandBfan! You all rock and really keep me going. :)

Onwards (finally)!

* * *

"Hey."

"Hey."

Steve and Kono both stopped in their respective speed-walking as they passed in the HQ foyer, looking semi-surprised but pleased. It'd been a hectic case, and it was the first time all morning that they'd actually seen each other.

Kono gave him a small smile. "Hey, howzit? Where you been all day?"

Steve exhaled in response, brow wrinkling under stress. "I, uh – long story. I had to meet up with Agent Kaye." He paused. "Jenna."

Kono paused at how natural the correction was, but recovered after a brief silence. She shook her head. "Oh yeah, Danny told me about the new girl. Heard she's kind of a handful."

"She's alright."

"Oh."

There was another silence – this one, longer.

"So, uh, what have you been working on?" Steve asked, stuffing his hands in his pocket.

Kono gestured in the general direction of the parking lot, where Danny was making his way into the building. "Danny and I just got back from the strip club."

"Interesting place for a lunch date," Steve prompted deliberately, half-joking but half-fishing for an explanation.

Kono didn't laugh, but continued without interruption, "We got a lead on a 'Johnny D' character – frequent customer, sleazy, always goes in to see his favorite girl, Tiffany. The bartender told us that apparently there's been a guy asking around for him the past couple of weeks, and we think that might be the guy who killed Alex. I spoofed Tiffany's phone and we set up a meeting with Johnny. He's set to arrive at Femme Nu in a couple hours. We're going to go meet him up."

"Right." Steve nodded then stopped, furrowing his brow. "How'd you get Johnny to agree to meet you?"

At this, Kono finally cracked a smile – giving a mischievous smirk and innocent shrug before wordlessly striding off towards her office. Steve squinted after her as she left, mouth slightly open – a faint smile on his mildly confused face. He didn't even notice when Danny appeared in front of him.

"Hey," the blonde man greeted him. "Kono fill you in?"

Steve turned around. "Huh? Oh. Yeah. She did. Are we heading over to Femme Nu now?"

"In a bit. Kono and I have to make some calls to HPD. How'd your thing with, uh, Jenna Kaye go?"

"Fine," Steve replied absentmindedly, indicating his desire to talk about it later. He raised an eyebrow. "Hey, so how did you guys manage to get Johnny to agree to this meeting?"

At this, Danny broke into a toothy grin. "Oh. Heh. You gotta see this." He opened the laptop he had been toting under his arm, pulling up the files from the spoofed phone and turning the screen towards Steve. "This here is, ah, Kono playing 'stripper.' Read it and tell me that's not insanely hot."

Steve raised a curious brow and leaned in, eyes quickly scanning the lines of the fake text Kono had sent Johnny.

"Wow."

"Yeah." Danny shut the laptop and chuckled. "Genius, right? Who would've thought – our little rookie has a naughty side."

Steve was extremely tempted to tell his partner that he had actually gotten a taste of that side a couple of days ago on her couch, but held back. He pursed his lips to keep from smirking as he recalled the memory.

"What?"

"What do you mean, what?"

"You look like you're about to slap a little kid," Danny replied, "which, incidentally, I've since learned that in Stoic Seal emotions, translates to you trying not to laugh. What's so funny that you can't share with the rest of the class?"

Steve rearranged his face carefully. "Nothing." He shrugged. "I don't think anything's funny."

Danny narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously, but finally let it go. "Yeah. Ain't that the truth," he mumbled under his breath, before patting his partner on the shoulder and heading over to Kono's office.

* * *

In the HQ garage, the team strapped on their Kevlar suits together in preparation for the Johnny D meeting. Steve nodded at each of his teammates, and headed towards the new black pickup truck. He stopped when he noticed Kono heading in the opposite direction.

"Kono," he called out, giving her a confused but pointed look when she turned around. He nodded in the direction of the car, as if saying, _Where are you going? _

Kono didn't meet his eye as she swung her own car keys around her index finger. "I think I'm going to ride with Danny today." Her tone was light, but her face belied something deeper.

Indeed, Steve glanced over to see Danny already climbing into Kono's red Chevy, and felt as if somebody had punched him in the stomach. His face instantly darkened. "Oh. Okay," he responded, hearing the forced levity in his own voice. "No problem." Steve clenched his jaw as he turned to Chin Ho. "Chin, guess that means you're coming with me."

"Got it."

Right before they climbed into their respective driver's seats, Steve and Kono glanced back at each other. There was a brief moment of shared wordless message-conveyance. Kono looked away first and slid into her seat, shutting the door.

_This is about Jenna, _Steve suddenly realized, as he roughly jammed his key into the ignition and started the engine. He wasn't going to pretend he hadn't briefly entertained thoughts of the new analyst – _I mean, it's only natural, right? Even Danny said so. But it doesn't mean anything._

This new girl couldn't stimulate any emotion on any level close to what Steve could feel about Kono. _I can't believe Kono doesn't realize that. _He was frustrated at her insecurity, but immediately felt guilty for thinking so – he too often assumed that Kono was emotionally infallible. It was unfair of him to do so. Steve's grip tightened on the steering wheel as his mind fumed.

"What's up, man?" Chin shot him a sidelong look from the passenger seat. "You nervous?"

Steve chuckled mirthlessly and concentrated back on the road. "Never. You know me, Chin."

"You look upset."

Dismissive shake of the head. "Nah."

A comfortable silence followed – something Steve wasn't used to in his usual driving partners. Like Steve, Chin was also a man of few words – which led to a completely different car ride experience, as opposed to the 'cargument'-filled rides with Danny or the electric flirting (and the occasional touching)-filled rides with Kono. This new switch-up was foreign, to say the least.

Steve glanced quickly over at his passenger. Chin was sitting there with that permanent faint smile he always had, watching the road with as much calm concentration as a driver should. "Why do you say that?" Steve asked, not able to help himself.

Chin looked at him. "Say what?"

"Do I look upset?"

Chin chuckled. "Brah, you look like you're chewing on glass."

"Such colorful similes my team comes up with for me," Steve deadpanned.

"Not to mention," Chin continued, "you keep looking over at their car every few seconds."

This, on the other hand, was news to Steve. He wrinkled his brow. "I do?"

"Yeah."

"Huh. I didn't even notice I was doing that." He subtly glanced out the window to see Kono's small red Aveo in the lane next to him, their cars almost directly adjacent. Kono was giggling at some joke Danny had undoubtedly cracked, her lips parted in cheerful laughter. Steve felt the punch to his stomach again and set his jaw in silent fuming.

Eventually, Kono must've felt Steve's gaze, as she turned in slight surprise. She looked confused at first, but then smirked slightly, slowly revving her gas pedal in invitation.

"Oh, no," Steve chuckled lowly, lopsided smirk inciting his laugh lines. "I don't think so." Outside, he heard Kono rev her gas again, teasing him.

Chin shifted. "What's up?"

"I think," Steve leaned back in his seat, "the kid wants to race us."

"You think so? I'd put money on her."

Steve pretended to look affronted, and laughed, "You traitor. Are you serious? Brah, she's driving a fucking hybrid."

"Hey man, sorry." Chin grinned. "Just calling it like it is."

"Okay." Steve shrugged it off, rubbing his hands on sides of the wheel. "Alright. Okay. We'll see about that. How far away is Femme Nu?"

"It's a couple of miles until you hit Kapiolani. But you probably won't be able to race once you get there; it should be packed at this time of day."

"Good enough." Steve glanced over at Kono again, who was already grinning back, one taunting eyebrow raised and one hand draped casually over her steering wheel.

Steve smirked and gave her a quick head nod.

Kono smirked back, her almond eyes glinting with the appeal of competition. Then they both gunned their accelerators, wheels screeching as the two cars peeled at top speed towards Kapiolani Boulevard.

* * *

Kono only saw the back of her three teammates' heads as she walked into the room. They were sitting around the small TV, their feet kicked up onto the table, hands clutching cold beers. Every so often, they'd let out a cheer or hoot.

Kono grinned as she swung through the doorframe. It'd been a long day; chasing down a rogue couple responsible for a string of antique store robberies on the mainland had taken a lot out of her. She was more than ready to kick back with her favorite people. "Hey," she greeted, grabbing her own beer from the table. "What are we watching?"

The three men immediately turned around in surprise, looking at her then at each other sheepishly.

"What?" Kono eyed them suspiciously. Suddenly, she noticed a telling blue ocean wave breaking on the screen and pursed her lips. _Oh, geez. _She inwardly groaned and reached for the remote, hitting pause. The image froze on the nose of a bright yellow surfboard coming out of the barrel of the wave.

"Wow." Kono folded her arms at the men, who were all expertly avoiding her gaze. "Really, guys? Watching videos of my old surf competitions? How did you even get these?"

Immediately, Steve and Danny held up their hands in innocence and jutted a silent thumb in Chin's direction.

"Cuz." Kono narrowed her eyes disapprovingly at Chin Ho.

Chin glanced at her and attempted an apologetic grin. "I found them going through some stuff at home. Thought the guys would enjoy it. I mean, it's like when we play McGarrett's and my old football tapes. You like watching those."

"That's different."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Kono's lips thinned slightly. "Because you guys can still play football."

There was a long silence.

Finally, Chin spoke, face solemn and serious. "You're right." He sighed. "I'm sorry, cuz. I was out of line."

With a small exhalation, Kono plopped down onto the chair next to Steve. He instinctively gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"No worries," Kono replied, with a brief smile. "But maybe we could just stick to watching _Chips_ marathons from now on?"

They laughed.

"Or Chin's old football tapes," Steve cut in. "You know I always enjoy watching Kukui's _second_ _best_ quarterback at work."

"Second best?" Chin chuckled. "Chee. You did not just go there."

And with that, the atmosphere easily thawed – leading into Steve proudly recounting the multiple records he'd broken as quarterback, Chin protesting that the league Kukui played in was just harder "in his day", and Danny on the side muttering that Hawaiian football couldn't hold a candle to the sport on the East Coast. Kono grinned to herself as she chewed on her thumbnail. No matter what they did to annoy her, she would always love her little ohana. _My little four-person ohana, _she couldn't help but mentally add, thoughts floating to a certain pixie-haired CIA analyst.

Danny suddenly exhaled and stood up, giving his empty bottle a little shake. "Speaking of waterboys… I'm dry." He got up to make his way to the fridge.

"Ah, you always are," Chin teased. "Get me one, too."

As Chin and Danny exchanged quips, Steve took the opportunity to casually lean back in his chair, pretending to be glancing behind him. Keeping his eyes trained on a spot somewhere in the space behind Kono's right shoulder, he murmured lowly in her ear, "Dinner?"

Kono shot him a smirk. Imitating Steve's stealthy move, she whispered back, "Me?"

Steve exhaled sharply, eyes serious. "You're the only one I want to eat with." His implications were heavy, evident. _Not Jenna._

Kono glanced back. She got it. "Get the car started."

Steve smirked and pushed himself out of his chair, making up some excuse about needing to get back home early.

* * *

"You know, if it means anything," Steve said, eyes on Kono as they slowly strolled down Kalakaua Ave, "I thought your surfing videos were amazing. You looked great."

Kono smiled faintly, staring down at her worn-out Rainbows. "Thanks. I always hate watching those though – knowing I'll never be that good again."

"Eh, maybe not," Steve joked. "But I was talking about _you_ looking great. Seriously, they always make you surf in those swimsuits?"

A genuine laugh escaped Kono's lips. "You're ridiculous," she laughed, shaking her head and shoving Steve gently. "But mahalo for the sentiment."

Steve chuckled.

They turned into Duke's Lane, enjoying the way they blended in with the crowds of tourists along the popular souvenir destination. For once, they didn't have to worry about being recognized by local acquaintances or distant relatives. For once, they didn't have to be teammates Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett and Officer Kona Kalakaua – they could just be Steve and Kono… friends.

Both Steve and Kono seemed to realize this, as they eventually made subtle attempts at walking closer and closer together until their fingers brushed, then finally intertwined. Kono blushed and smiled behind the strands of hair that fell into her face.

It felt comfortable and natural, them hand-in-hand as they browsed through booths of bracelets and keychains, and every so often, stopped to laugh over some trinket (they had an especially hearty laugh over the fake ninja stars on display – as they both knew what actual real ones looked like and how to use them).

"Kono?"

She put down the hula girl bobble-head she had been playing with. "Hm?"

Steve regarded her with a serious expression. "You know, what happened wasn't your fault."

Kono knew exactly what he was talking about. She looked away. "I know."

"I know you miss surfing competitively, but look at it this way. You're doing something you're even better at now. You're a vital asset to our team, and your knee hasn't stopped you from being one of the strongest people I know."

Kono stared at her hands, small smile slowly spreading over her face. "How is it, Boss," she replied after a while, shaking her head, "that you always know the right thing to say?"

Steve smirked, feeling a low impulsivity as he gazed back at Kono, with her trademark sidelong dimpled grin and brown eyes with a trace of a mischievous glint. He slowly slid both hands around her waist and shrugged. "Try telling that to Danny," he deadpanned, making Kono giggle in his arms. He smiled at her laugh.

And there, in the middle of a bustling Duke's Lane, in the middle of hundreds of tourists as the sun set on Oahu's nightlife, Steve kissed Kono, grinning against her white teeth, and everything – whatever they were – finally became real.

* * *

(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it. Please let me know what you thought


	11. Ma Ke Kahakai

(A/N) Hi all! It's been a while! How annoying were those hiatuses? But I think this week's episode made up for the wait, because I loved it! No Jenna, tons of Steve/Danny, lots of Kono/Chin backstory (I teared up multiple times, ngl, haha), and even a really cute Steve/Kono scene. How awesome was all that? Not to mention, there's been some really cute Alex/Grace in interviews lately to feed my Steve/Kono love (especially the one where Alex says that she _wrestles _with him on set? Ookay. Hot. HAHA). :)  
Big thanks go to Pop'n'Pop23, Sparrowhawk1952, BandBfan, rice117, ExodusBeteNoire, Froggie2, cdnyellowrose, Merl Laurence, A Sliver of Silver, francis2, sammie28, chril1, zebraboymom, HorizonEyes, lynnrxgal, RandomPurpleBook, amblue36, annaliesegrace, vv, Martha Smith-Jones, aqiran, SpnH50Sg, jj, and dutchrub! You guys are awesome and your reviews are like shining stars in the vast darkness that is a H50 hiatus. HAHA that was so cheesy. Buuut you get the point. ahaha. ;) Thanks for all the kind words and suggestions!  
This chapter was based on Ma Ke Kahakai and a little from the last episode. Without further ado, onwards to the chapter!

* * *

Steve looked up in surprise at the sudden noise somewhere outside of his office. He had come in early to kick-start his Wo Fat investigation again (that last meeting with him had left him more than incensed), so he wasn't expecting anyone else to be at HQ. Putting down the folder he'd been searching, he leaned over in his chair and spotted a plaid shirt in the corner, hunched over one of the computers by the file cabinet. Steve smirked.

"Kono," he called out his open door, just loudly enough to be heard.

He chuckled to himself when he saw Kono's shocked head suddenly wheel around in an attempt to locate the source of the voice. When she spotted him, she placed a hand to her chest and rolled her eyes, smirking. Although Kono looked relieved as she got up to walk over to his office, Steve couldn't help but notice her subtly slip whatever file she'd been looking for onto her desk before she stood.

"Hey, Boss," she greeted him as she reached his doorway. "Didn't think anyone else was here."

"Did I scare you?"

"You know nothing scares me."

A smirk. "My kind of girl."

Kono matched his smirk and folded her arms. "So what are you doing here so early?"

Steve took a weary breath. "Trying to map all potential communication between Wo Fat and Hesse over the last year." He gestured to the pile of documents on his desk, the veins in his hands straining as he balled his fists in anger. "You realize he told me his exact name that day on the golf course? Giving me his real name took a lot of fucking confidence that he wouldn't get caught. Arrogant bastard. Next time I see him, he's going to be a dead man. No more chances."

"How'd he get away at the restaurant?"

Steve opened his mouth to speak, but then seemed to hesitate, then closed it again. "I, uh." He paused. "I had to let him go."

Kono looked surprised. "Oh."

"He had collateral."

"Collateral." Kono repeated the word, eyebrow raising.

"Yeah. I was supposed to be meeting Jenna for dinner."

There was instant silence. Kono didn't even bother answering this one.

She didn't move a millimeter as she stood there, but simply waited, stone-faced, for Steve to continue. And he did.

"It was a business dinner," Steve said pointedly, acutely taking note of her firm silence. "Jenna has… information on Wo Fat, and we were supposed to meet up to discuss it."

Kono remained silent.

"Kono." Steve's voice was stern but quiet – the soft earnestness seeping through the usual strict Navy Seal-style reprimand. "It's not like that."

Kono scoffed to herself slightly before smiling, the white of her teeth a welcome sight to Steve. He inwardly exhaled in relief as Kono sighed, "I know." _I'm being selfish, _was her unspoken apology. "You did what you had to do."

"I did."

They gazed at each other for a while. The birds outside chirped in the early sunny Hawaiian morning.

Finally, Steve pushed back his chair and stood up, as if closing the conversation. He kept a straight face as he pretended to sigh deeply, "You know… we're both such hard workers, coming in to work even before any of our other teammates show up."

A slow smirk started across Kono's face. "Oh, really now?" she replied slyly, playing along. She followed Steve with her eyes as he walked over to join her in the door frame.

"Yeah." They were centimeters apart now. "Empty office… nobody else around."

"So lonely." A giggle escaped Kono as Steve snaked his arms around her waist and came to rest in the belt loops of her jeans.

"Good thing we have each other."

They stared each other down, Steve wearing that trademark smirk and Kono trying her hardest not to laugh.

"Wow," Kono finally said, voice thick with the laughter that was threatening to break through at a moment's notice. "Did you bring your gun to work, or are you just happy to see me?" She grinned and wrapped her arm around Steve's neck.

"Both," he replied in her ear, smirking, voice so low it sent a rumble through Kono's body.

"Hah, _okay_," Kono said with a slight smile, placing a hand on his Steve's chest to hold him back as he began kissing the side of her neck. "We can't do this here."

"No one will be here for another hour or so."

"We're at headquarters. It'd be like one big blasphemic metaphor."

Steve gave her a look, eyebrows raised in amusement. There was a short silence. "Did you really just use the phrase 'blasphemic metaphor?'"

"Shut up."

"No seriously, what does that even _mean_?"

"You're horrible," Kono laughed, her voice like chimes, as she leaned her forehead against Steve's chest.

Steve grinned down at Kono, raising a hand to gently brush through her dark hair. Then he downshifted to serious. "Kono," he started quietly, almost murmuring. "Be honest with me. Why are you here early this morning?"

Kono didn't answer.

"Hey." He tried again. "Were you looking up information on Kaye?"

He felt her stiffen in his arms. Kono inhaled once, deeply, then exhaled, her hot breath warming the center of Steve's blue polo.

At last, she looked up into his face. "I should've known better than to try something behind your back," Kono said, with a rueful laugh, shaking her head. "Yes, I was. I was just curious. And I didn't want to tell anybody. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Steve cut her off. "You shouldn't have to hesitate to talk to me about this. From now on, just ask me, okay? Anything you want."

The right corner of Kono's mouth curled upwards into a smile. "Okay. Thank you. I appreciate that."

"Anytime. And, you know, it's cute."

"Cute?"

"Yeah." Steve pretended not to notice her death glare. He grinned. "You being jealous. I think it's pretty cute."

"I hate you."

"You do not."

Kono continued glaring at him, shaking her head resentfully. Suddenly, she stopped and smirked. "Hey, remember what I wrote in that text to Johnny D while I was pretending to be Tiffany?"

At this, Steve's lopsided grin widened significantly. "Vividly."

"Yeah. You'll never get to see that in real life." Kono extracted herself from his grip, adjusting her shirt before shooting him a taunting smirk and disappearing down the hall.

Steve stared after her retreating back, with his brows knitted and mouth open in indignation. "What – but I was just," he called in frustration, voice trailing off as Kono continued walking. "Oh, come _on_!"

* * *

Steve heard his phone vibrate on his side table and groaned. He opened his eyes to the blinding white of hospital walls and gingerly extended his unbroken arm to reach for the phone. When he saw the name on the caller ID, he sat up in bed immediately and put the phone to his ear.

"Hi."

"Super Seal." The voice that greeted him from the other side was light, the teasing smile almost emanating through the speaker. "What's up with you? Here I was thinking you were invincible."

Steve couldn't help but grin back. He was glad to hear her voice. "Does it upset you that I'm not?"

"Nah." Kono laughed. "It's nice to know that even Steve McGarrett may need someone to save him once in a while."

Steve let that one sink in and smiled.

"So how's the arm?" Kono asked. "Heard it's fractured in two parts."

"Yeah, they got a cast on it. Should be healed in a couple of weeks."

"Ooh, a cast. Nice. Can I sign it? I'll even draw my name in a heart."

"I don't know if I'm ready for that. We're moving a bit fast. I think you're going to have to sleep with me one more time before I can let you start drawing hearts on me."

Kono giggled – as always, the first one to break their usual banter. She smiled into the phone, and Steve smiled, and there was a comfortable silence as they simply enjoyed each other's virtual company.

Finally, Steve spoke again. "You know, I found another one of those envelopes at my doorstep yesterday."

"Oh, wow. What was in it?"

"An old matchbook from the toolbox."

"Do you think it's from Wo Fat?"

Steve sighed. "Yeah, well. That's the million dollar question, isn't it?"

There was silence.

Sighing deeply, Steve leaned back against his pillows and readjusted his injured arm in an attempt to get more comfortable. "So what's going on with the case? What's going on with you?"

"Case is going okay. Chin and Danny retrieved some meth and a gun from suspect Sal Groves. Danny's at Ballistics right now dropping off the gun." Kono stopped here, hesitating. "I, um, I talked to the son."

At this, Steve sat up straighter. He remembered too clearly the last time Kono had to deal with sharing unfortunate news to a family member. She didn't have to say anything else. "Are you okay?" Steve's voice was quiet but compassionate.

Kono exhaled and was silent for a long time. Finally, she spoke again, slowly. "You know, when I was walking towards him on the boat, I saw him – he was teaching his son how to tie a fisherman's knot."

_Oh, geez. There was a kid. _Steve grimaced as he flashed back to the day he had to break the news to Mr. Chu and the young Ming Wa. His heart dropped. _God, Kono. _

"Then I remembered what you told me that one day," Kono went on, "How our job lets us help these people by locking up whoever did this to them. How we have to accept that that's our way of helping? I was walking towards Sean and the boy, watching them – and then I just, I knew. I wanted so badly to let him know that we would find whoever killed his father and the boy's grandfather. And then everything was okay."

Steve was quiet. It was a crystallizing thought: that he and Kono complemented each other so well; they were both so strong but perfectly capable of faltering once in a while – and how each could pick the other up in the rare moments that they did falter.

"I'm proud of you, Kono," he finally said. Quietly, lowly. Genuine.

She paused. "Thanks, Boss."

There was more silence, marked only by the mutual breathing on both sides of the wire.

"My auntie's sick."

Steve blinked at Kono's sudden declaration. "How bad is it?"

"She won't make it through the night."

Steve squeezed his eyes shut. "Look, if you and Chin need to –" he trailed off, "you can. I'll be back at HQ soon. Don't worry about me."

Kono exhaled audibly, sounding relieved when she repeated, "Thanks, Steve. Really."

"No problem." Steve smiled. "Hey."

"Hm?"

"Miss you."

There was a brief silence. "Miss you too."

Steve and Kono both smiled into their respective receivers before hanging up.

* * *

"Ho, Shave Ice!" Kono called out, smiling at the sight of the friendly Samoan in their lobby. Kamekona turned around and waved the shaka at her, looking childishly out of place with his large tee and slippers against the pristine ivory of the HQ tiles.

"Kono!" he grinned widely. "Looking so beautiful as always! How you no try all the time?"

"Mahalos, brah," Kono laughed modestly. "What brings you to 5-0?"

Kamekona gestured at Danny. "The haole called me. Need me to pick up Steve from the hospital because everyone's so busy." The big man broke into a proud smile. "I feel like I'm part of the team, no? You guys do the ass-kicking, and Kamekona does the ass-picking-up."

"That's clever," Danny nodded, pointing an approving finger. "I like that."

"Thank you, brudduh."

"Wait." Kono cut in a little too quickly. "I can pick Steve up from the hospital."

Danny looked at her suspiciously. "What about your aunt? Where's Chin Ho?"

Kono's face darkened. "Chin? He's still at the house," she finally conceded. "I just came back to pick up a photo album I have in my office. It has some pictures I thought Auntie would really like."

"Your auntie is sick?" Kamekona asked. "Send her my love."

Kono smiled. "I will. Thank you."

"You should probably get back to your family then," Danny said pointedly, eyes watching Kono like a hawk. "They need you. Kamekona can handle Steve."

At Danny's suspicious tone, Kono caught herself just in time. She shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah. No, of course. Just thought I'd offer. I'll see you guys in a bit." She bid them goodbye and disappeared into her office.

* * *

"Don't do that."

"Do what?" Kono grinned playfully and fixed the collar on Steve's shirt again.

"That." He grinned back and shoved her. "I don't like people touching my shirt."

Steve and Kono were sitting together on his desk, bodies facing each other so close together that their legs were practically entwined.

"Oh, you mean… like this?" She flipped his collar again and giggled.

"Stop it." He shoved her again, smirking teasingly.

"Make me."

"A-hem." Someone cleared his throat loudly and pointedly from the doorway.

Steve and Kono practically jumped away from each other. They wheeled around to see Danny standing in the doorway, his arms folded.

Kono cleared her throat and leapt off the desk, brushing down her jeans. "Right, so, uh, I'll get the matchbook analyzed for you right away, boss."

"Thanks, Kono."

She nodded demurely and slid past Danny out the door, not daring to make eye contact with him.

When she was gone, there was a brief silence.

"Don't give me that look," Steve warned, duly noting Danny's accusatory glare.

Danny continued glaring.

"What?" Steve shrugged. "She's cool."

"Cool?" Danny chuckled mirthlessly. "Cool? No. Let me tell you what cool is to you. You think watching Rambo for the sixteenth time is cool. You think riding a motorcycle into the side of a building is cool. Cool is not what you think Kono is right now."

Steve sat down in his chair and folded his arms. "Really, Danny? Then why don't you enlighten me some more about my life, since you obviously know more about me than I do."

Danny stared at Steve for another long second, before his face scrunched up in realization. "Oh my God."

"What?"

He pointed a finger at Steve. "Oh my God. You're banging her."

Steve's face pulled into a grimace. "What?"

"You're sleeping with Kono."

The sentence seemed to echo impossibly loudly in the ensuing silence.

Steve ran a hand across his mouth, his eyebrows rose to a look of innocent surprise. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't give me that; I'm always right about these things."

Steve sighed and leaned forward on his desk. He didn't answer.

Danny took the silence as affirmation. "Oh God," he laughed in disbelief and paced around once, in a circle. "Oh God, you do realize Chin's going to kill you, right? Like, he is actually going to straight up, murder you – cut off your balls and have you strung and quartered – murder you. Literally."

"Oh, really. Literally?"

"Yes. Literally."

"But _you're_ okay with it?"

This caught Danny off guard. "What?"

Steve's face was calm. "I said, but you're okay with it, right?"

"Okay with –?"

"Me and Kono."

Danny made a short, sputtering noise that made Steve smirk.

"Why would I not be okay with it? You are both grown adults and can do whatever you want." He threw up his hands. "In fact, I'm happy for you – _thrilled_, really. You're banging a girl who can talk like a stripper but can also kick your ass. Why - why wouldn't I be thrilled for you?"

"You're right," Steve nodded, keeping his face serious. "And I have to tell you, she does this amazing thing with –"

"Stop it," Danny snapped, putting his hands over his ears. "Stop it, you dirty man. Just keep in mind that Chin is around." He released one hand to point menacingly in Steve's direction. "And don't expect me to have any sympathy for you when he finally finds you."

Danny strode out of the room, hands still plugging his ears.

Steve smirked. Messing with Danny was way too easy.

* * *

(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it. Feel free to let me know what you thought in a review. :) Thanks so much for reading, and I'll update soon!.


	12. Ho'opa'i

(A/N) Hi all! Yes.. I've heard the scary news of Kono potentially leaving Hawaii 5-0. personally, I can't see it being true! Everyone would have a fit if one of the 4 died off after only 1 season. And I can't see either Diddy or (God forbid, the exceedingly unlikeable) Jenna Kaye replacing her - because, okay, you can't exactly call it Hawaii 5-0 anymore if there's only 1 Hawaiian left. It'd just be a horrendously unwise move on the show's part if they did kill Kono off. But... I guess if Grace is adamant, I could see it happening. If that's true, then I'd be pretty mad! Ah, we'll just have to wait and see. womps.  
anyway, much thanks to RandomPurpleBook, Merl Laurence, sammie28, zebraboymom, Pop'n'Pop23, annaliesegrace, cjhar, Froggie2, francis2, CaffeineKiddo, HorizonEyes, MarieDan, journeyfan4life, Martha Smith-Jones, and Emmy MK for the kind reviews! Thanks to you guys for being so awesome and supportive! :) You all really make me smile.

This chapter includes the latest Diddy episode and some original content. Hope you enjoy! Onwards!

* * *

"So how many minutes of swimming did your physical therapist recommend for your arm every morning?"

Steve rested his forehead against Kono's as his hands traversed her smooth skin underwater. He released her bottom lip from between his teeth and smirked. "Thirty."

"Mm." Kono laughed and hitched herself higher onto Steve's bent knee. "This isn't exactly helping, is it?"

"That's okay, I can get my morning exercise in other ways."

Kono pulled back to give Steve a mock skeptical glance. "Oh, really. A little presumptuous, aren't we, Boss?"

"Come on, Kono," Steve murmured lowly into the corner of her lips, sending a shiver down her arched spine. "Don't make me beg for it."

"Aw, but that's exactly what I intended to make you do."

Steve pulled back now, raking his heavily lidded eyes over Kono's face. He raised his eyebrows, as in a challenge. "You _do_ know that I can make it impossible for you to say no."

Kono grinned. "Bullshit."

"You're actually questioning my skills here? Really?"

"Bring it on, brah."

"Okay." Steve shrugged and took a deep breath. "Alright. You asked for it."

There was a long, anticipatory silence.

Then an – "Oh - my _God_."

Steve smirked. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

As if instantly, Kono's head fell slack onto Steve's shoulder under his unseen touch, her fingers digging into his skin. "_God_," she repeated, voice almost unrecognizably husky. Her legs wrapped tighter around him. Steve easily supported her weight up with his one free cast-covered arm.

"Sure, you can call me that."

"Shut – up."

"You ready to change your answer yet?"

Kono moaned quietly.

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you. Was that a yes?"

Kono shot Steve a glare. "I said yes," she muttered thickly. "Let's just get out of here."

Steve smirked victoriously and released her, gesturing toward the house. "After you." He loved to win just as much as Kono did, and he was looking forward to this particular reward even more.

With another dark glare, Kono readjusted her bikini and hopped out of the water, Steve following. They were walking towards the back door when Steve suddenly held out an arm to stop her.

"What's wrong?"

He held a finger to his lips, eyes narrowed. "Hold on," he murmured quietly. "There's someone out front."

The two instantly bristled, switching seamlessly into partner mode. Kono ducked out, inching up towards the window, while Steve circled around the corner. He disappeared for a while, and when he came around again, he looked significantly less anxious.

Kono relaxed her stance. "Who was it?"

Steve ran a hand through his still-dripping wet hair. "You'll never guess whose car is parked in my driveway. Kamekona's."

"What?" Kono furrowed her brow. "Weird. What's Kamekona doing in your house?"

Steve shrugged. "I don't know. Better go see what he wants."

"What about me?"

Steve's hand paused at the door. He turned back around to face Kono before leaning in to give her a quick peck on the cheek. "Rain check?"

Kono smirked and shifted her weight lightly on her feet. "Don't make me beg for it, Boss."

"Hah, you're funny." Steve spared her a quick smirk before shooing, "Now come on, get out of here. Danny already knows about us; let's not add Kamekona to that list too."

Kono had pulled her jean shorts over her soaking swimsuit and was halfway down the driveway before she recognized Kamekona's booming voice greeting Steve - "Nice swim, brudduh?" – and the unmistakable scent of spam fried rice wafting through the open window.

* * *

Kono laughed to herself, tuning out Danny's anxious scolding as she climbed higher up the tree.

"Spiderwoman," he addressed her, in the impatient tone he would usually address a disobedient Grace. "What are you doing?" He held up his phone. "Babe, I got them on speed-dial, you don't have to do that – can you please – ugh, be careful - "

His voice trailed off as Kono grinned and effortlessly smashed the camera box open with the rock.

"Destruction of government property." Danny chuckled humorlessly and threw up his arms in resignation. "Alright. You've been hanging out with McGarrett too long."

Kono tucked the camera under her arm and carefully descended the stalk. When she was about three feet to the ground, she leapt off and walked victoriously back towards Danny.

"You know, I can tell you," she smirked knowingly, tossing the camera in Danny's direction, "when McGarrett and I hang out… most of the time, we're not climbing trees."

"That's cute," Danny deadpanned sarcastically, examining the device briefly as Kono laughed. "Yeah, gloating's cute, you dirty girl. You know what? You and McGarrett deserve each other. Why don't you both go talk dirty and climb trees and do whatever else you immature troublemakers do together. Meanwhile, _I_ will be here – acting like the normal, sane adult that is so sorely lacking within our group dynamic."

Kono folded her arms and narrowed her eyes jokingly. "You jealous, Williams?"

"No, I am not jealous."

"No worries, brah," Kono shot him a teasing glance before turning on her heel and walking back towards the house. "I like you guys all the same."

"I am _not _jealous."

Kono held up an acknowledging hand and continued walking.

"I'm _not_, Kono!"

* * *

"Over there." Steve gestured quietly to a dusty pickup truck outside the house and crouched behind it, then made sure Kono did the same. They had tailed their suspect to the abandoned warehouse they were currently hiding outside of; the businessman had disappeared inside less than three minutes ago.

Kono leaned her head back against the car door, gripping her gun. "Calling HPD for backup?"

"Yeah." Steve stretched his free arm into his pocket to produce his cell phone. His hand hovered over the keypad and paused briefly.

Kono frowned at his hesitation. "What's up?"

Steve inhaled sharply, mind flashing back to the inside of the dark interrogation room with Reggie Cole. What was it Reggie had said that day? _"Do you have kids, McGarrett? No? Then you'll never understand." _

Spat in a fit of frustration, but hit closer than Steve had anticipated.

To be perfectly honest, it had always slightly irritated Steve whenever Danny would make wisecracks about his apparent lack of empathy. Steve could practically hear Danny now – "_Me? Well, I have Grace to worry about, so I'd approach with caution. But you – well, I don't even want to know what _you_ would do. Probably run in with guns blazing and shoot up the damn place… then get yourself shot in the process." _

And fine, Danny was one thing – but the fact that Reggie had unknowingly assumed the same thing irritated Steve even more. Maybe even worried him a little. Was he really that heartless sometimes?

Steve tightened his grip on his phone. He turned to Kono.

"What is it?" she said again, looking concerned.

"Why do you think Choi stole the money?"

Kono paused, not sure how to answer. "I don't know. Because he's a thief?"

"No." Steve raised a finger. "No… see, I'm thinking he did it for his son."

"You mean Victor?"

"Yeah." Steve turned back to face forward. He and Kono were crouched so close that their sweaty shoulders touched. "Victor just got laid off from his six-figure CEO job. It makes sense."

"But that doesn't add up with anything else. Victor's not even in the country. We practically have everything but Choi's confession."

Steve fell silent, his jaw muscles clenching and releasing in concentration.

"Steve." Kono's voice was low. Her eyes flickered in his direction. "What is this really about?"

He didn't answer at first, only readjusted his position, heavy Timberlands crunching against the sand. Then, he said, "Do you ever think – we might miss out on important parts of a suspect's profile because we don't understand what it feels like to have children?"

There was a heavy silence.

"I don't know. Maybe," Kono responded honestly. "But I also think it can let us think more –"

"Do you think I'm bad with kids?"

Kono startled, a little taken aback at being cut off. "What? No," she started over, patiently. "I mean, you were great with Kevin. And I'm sure Reggie thought the same."

Steve nodded at this. "Yeah, you're right," he replied, sounding mollified by this. "You're right."

Another silence.

Steve turned back to Kono, brows furrowed in new determination. "It's not like I don't ever want kids, you know. I do. One day."

Kono fought back a smile. "Me too," she replied quietly to her knees. She looked up again. "But I want to get this guy first. What do you say?"

Steve let out a low chuckle. "Yeah. Okay. HPD's on their way."

Kono clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a small smirk before inching around him in preparation to storm the building.

"Wait, wait."

Kono looked back. "What?"

"Wait. Let me – can I just get – a," the corners of Steve's mouth curled slightly upwards and he tilted his chin in Kono's direction.

She laughed. "What do you want?"

"Just a - small kiss here? Please?"

"Oh God," Kono muttered under her breath, laughing. "You're ridiculous. You know, if we even lose sight of Choi, you're dead." She placed one hand on his cheek and leaned in to plant a light kiss on his lips, next to a small cut from an injury he'd sustained earlier in the case.

"Thank you," Steve replied formally when Kono was done, shooting her a lopsided smirk. He took advantage of Kono's response time to push her back behind him to allow him to approach the building first instead.

"Wait, I - " Kono protested, to no avail, as she watched Steve stealthily inch towards the building. She chuckled and rolled her eyes good-naturedly before following after him, grinning slightly all the way.

* * *

Kono woke up to streams of sunlight filtering in through unfamiliar blinds and the sound of her phone, vibrating against the side table.

She groaned and reached for the phone, sliding it open to read the text.

_HQ, 1 hour. Chin. _

She closed a bleary eye and tossed the phone back onto the table, where it joined several empty bottles from the night before.

Next to her, there was movement. The blankets rustled, and a warm arm slid up her back and around her waist. Kono smiled comfortably.

"Mm," Steve murmured lowly in her ear. "Again."

Kono couldn't help but laugh. "Again? What are you trying to do, kill me?"

He drew himself closer, one leg already sneakily pushing hers apart. "One more until lucky number seven." Kono could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

She rolled around to face him, a wide grin on her sleepy face. "I think we've been pretty lucky so far."

"You make a good point."

"Plus, we can't." She shut her eyes in annoyance. "Chin just texted to say we had to be at HQ in an hour."

"Did he say why?"

"No. I don't think it's a case, but I could be wrong."

Steve stared contentedly into Kono's eyes, massaging her neck so naturally as if they'd been together for years. "Come on," he smirked. "One more time."

Kono rolled her eyes. "You're insatiable, Kahuna," she chided, sighing deeply.

"Mm, I like that. Call me that again."

She laughed at the familiar line. "Do you," she began, "remember the first day we met? You told me I might have lots of undercover work in my future."

"Right."

Kono rustled the sheets and grinned pointedly. "Look. Here we are, under covers."

Steve paused and stared at her incredulously. Then, he started to chuckle – lightly at first, then loudly enough to shake the bed. Kono giggled too, then put a fist to her mouth, the both of them laughing and laughing in each other's arms, until their hearts were almost too full to function anymore.

* * *

Steve and Kono walked into headquarters – the former first and the latter close behind him. They were running a little late – as evidenced by Chin and Danny's expressions as said two men watched their teammates arrive.

Judging by the look on Danny's face, the fact that Steve and Kono had arrived _together _(and similarly disheveled) was not lost on him. "You're late," he said in a clipped voice, directed at Steve.

He went widely ignored.

Chin Ho took care of Kono's side of the scolding. "I called your house, cuz," he said to her. "No one picked up. And you never texted me back."

"Oh." Kono exchanged a nervous glance with Steve before blushing, "Sorry. I, uh, didn't get a chance to go home. Last night."

An awkward silence fell upon the room – two teammates slightly tensed, one annoyed, and one confused. But luckily, Chin Ho only sighed and moved on.

"All right, well, we received a briefing on a potential case with HPD," he said, pulling out a manila folder and tossing it on the table. "Let's see what we got."

* * *

(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it! As alway, feel free to let me know anything you thought with a review. Thanks so much for reading, and I'll update soon! :)


	13. Ho'ohuli Na'au

(A/N) Hi all! Thanks for keeping up with this fic... the finale approaches! Nooo! Heh. Anyway, this last episode was pretty cool, yeah? Interesting throwing in Charlie Fong... messing up our Steve/Kono time (even though Charlie _was _really cute, heh!) I'm in the middle of finals week at the moment, so not sure when I'll next have time to update, but it won't be more than 2 weeks, tops. :)

Anyway, big thank you's to francis2, Yellow Tang, S.M. K.K. 4eva, EmmyMK, In An Amethyst Flash, amblue36, lynnrxgal, jodiesto, Martha Smith-Jones, Sparrowhawk1952, zebraboymom, CaffeineKiddo, BethBobbyxoxo, rice117, cjhar, Froggie2, ..s2, BandBFan. Your kind words are, as always, what keeps me writing. Without you great people, there'd be no story! haha. sorry for the constant cheesiness, but it's true :)

This chapter covers a bit before and during the latest Rick Springfield/Andrea Bowen episode. Once again, I really didn't expect my story to turn out the way it did once I hit the end and I was like, Shit! This is really different. And extremely long. So apologies for how long-winded it may have gotten. Don't get bored halfway through! rofl. anyway. Onwards!

* * *

Steve parked the Camaro a little bit farther out from Kono's driveway and killed the engine. _What's the matter with you, McGarrett? _He sat back to rest his elbow on the window and exhaled, listening to the birds chirp. _It's Saturday. _

From where he was sitting, Steve could see Kono working in the garage; she was wearing a red tank top and jean shorts and was leaned over a sleek motorcycle in an attempt at tightening the spark plug. Behind his opaque Ray Bans, Steve quietly admired his teammate's lean, tanned legs as she worked, her hair in a ponytail to reveal her toned shoulders and smooth neck, the taut muscles in her arms as she reached up to wipe away a bead of sweat.

Truthfully, Steve had no idea what had compelled him to show up at Kono's house uninvited on a Saturday, when he'd already spent the last five work days by her side. All he knew was that he had woken up this morning alone, gotten in his car, driven around – and somehow subconsciously had ended up in front of Kono's driveway. Steve felt slightly annoyed with himself. After all, he was supposed to be Mr. "Don't call me, I'll call you", Mr. "I'll sleep with you for the added benefit of your Navy hookups to locate people for me on missions." He wasn't ever the one chasing the girl, the one so reluctant at the thought of spending even one day apart from her that he would drive across town to see her. No matter how amazing the girl was. _And Kono really is amazing. _He breathed out sharply. _Yeah. This is definitely different._

Steve got out of the car and shut the door, then made his way down Kono's driveway. Her back was to him. He folded his arms and leaned against the open garage door, smiling faintly as he waited for Kono to notice him.

"Ahem."

At the sudden noise, Kono jumped slightly. She turned around, and immediately broke into a dimpled grin at the sight of Steve. She yanked the iPod buds out of her ears. "Boss Man," she greeted him in surprise, standing and wiping her oily hands on her shorts. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

Steve shrugged. "I don't know," he replied honestly. "Just in the neighborhood."

"Huh," Kono answered slowly, regarding him with a playfully skeptical glare. "You sure? Because it kind of just seems like you missed me."

Steve chuckled, glancing down at his shoes briefly. "Well, can you blame me?" He walked towards her and gently took the wrench out of her hands to set it down on the table behind her, then pushed her against it, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I pull up to your house and there's a hot girl in shorts fixing a motorcycle in the driveway. Why wouldn't I stay?"

Kono giggled and languished in the soft kiss that followed, on the top of her collarbone.

"And of course you fix motorcycles," Steve murmured into her neck, voice gravelly with want. "God. How are you even real?"

"You're sweet," Kono joked modestly. "But I really had no choice, growing up. How else would I have been able to keep up with the cousins?" She tilted her chin in the direction of the table behind her, where there was a photo frame propped up next to her tall blue surfboard. It was covered with a thin layer of dust. Steve released Kono slowly and picked up the photo frame, examining the picture.

It featured a group of strapping tall Asian men on motorcycles; some were throwing up the shaka and others had longboards strapped to the sides of their bikes. Steve grinned when his eyes landed on a younger Chin Ho in the front row, sporting his old shoulder-length fringe – and then chuckled aloud when he saw Kono on her bike next to him, youthfully beautiful even as a lanky limbed 17-year-old. Her hair was pulled back in a haphazardly messy ponytail, and her grin was so bright that the white of her straight teeth was strikingly noticeable. She looked comically young and skinny next to the other men.

"_These_ are your cousins?" Steve asked, turning the frame towards her in disbelief. "You rode with _these_ guys?"

"Yeah." Kono smiled fondly at the photo. "Don't sound so shocked; they were all so nice to their baby cuz. Protective and made sure I never got left behind. Real gentlemen. Taught me everything I know." She grinned as she realized something. "Sounds like a certain boss I know, eh?"

Steve smiled. "Yeah, well. I'm not entirely surprised you kept up with the boys. You do it so well today."

A genuinely proud smile spread across Kono's face.

Steve enjoyed the privilege of having the willing girl in his arms for a little while longer before briefly squinting upwards and starting innocently, "So, uh, since I'm here today…"

Kono laughed – anticipating what was coming.

"… can I get that rain check?"

* * *

"Hey," Steve greeted Danny and Chin with a head nod as he entered the lobby. "Have you guys seen Kono?"

"Yeah," Danny answered, "Sent her down to the crime lab a couple minutes ago. HPD says they have a guy there analyzing the gas cans she sent in. A Charlie Fong or," he waved his hands absentmindedly, "something like that."

At this name drop, Chin burst into a grin. "Hold up. Charlie Fong? No way."

"Don't tell me _he's_ one of your distant relatives too," Danny deadpanned, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. "Is there anyone on this island you're notrelated to? No, really – I actually _dare _you to name one. And Steve and I don't count."

"Nah, man," Chin laughed easily, "Charlie's the cousin of an old friend of mine, Bill Yang. And Bill's sister Kelly was one of Kono's best grade school friends. Wow. Didn't know Charlie was HPD now. Small island."

"So I'm reminded every day."

Chin chuckled, "Don't know if Kono remembers this either, but I remember Charlie and her being quite the pair back in the day. Bill actually told me a story about them once… something involving Kelly's birthday, Spin the Bottle, and _On Bended Knee_." He grinned, shaking his head in nostalgic content.

"_Really_ now?" Danny's eyebrows shot up in surprise at this, voice drawing out the words in a loaded tone evident only to Steve. "So little Kono and Charlie Fong used to make out to Boyz II Men mix tapes. Aw. Now isn't that cute? That's romantic." He folded his arms and smirked innocently over at his partner. "Wouldn't you agree in saying that that's romantic, Steve?"

Steve didn't move a millimeter; only his eyes did as they flickered with a sidelong glare in Danny's direction. "Right," he replied shortly.

"And now they're working a _case _together." Danny nodded, pursing his lips in mock thought. "Interesting."

"Yeah," Chin Ho answered slowly, giving Danny a confused look before shaking his head, "Anyway, you headed back to get the models for follow-up questioning?"

"Yep." Danny slapped the folder he was holding against his palm. "Heading over now."

Steve put up a hand. "I'll walk you out."

"Alright, I'll see you guys later."

The two men walked in silence down the foyer towards the back door, both waiting for Chin to be out of earshot. They were all the way in the parking lot when Danny finally spoke.

"So you know I only torment you out of love, right?" He pulled open the door of the Camaro and gave Steve a wry smirk.

"Love."

"Yup."

"Right."

Steve squinted up at the sky, then back at Danny. Without another word and so quickly that it was almost invisible, he pulled back and punched Danny once, hard, in the shoulder.

"Hey!" Danny cried, recoiling with a look of angry shock. "What the hell was that for?"

"You know I only kick your ass out of love, right?"

"Hey, it is not_ my_ fault your girlfriend got assigned to work with her childhood love, okay?" Danny snapped. "Why don't you take your Super Seal ninja Rambo moves, your anger displacement, and unleash them on a person who actually deserves them? Geez. You need help. I swear you do." Still muttering to himself and rubbing his sore shoulder, Danny slid into the car.

"Yeah, well, just don't joke about them again."

There was a brief silence. From the driver's seat, Danny stared up at Steve. Danny's face softened slightly. He sighed, "Look, man. You're crazy if you think Kono would even be remotely interested in anyone else but you. Okay? I've never seen two people so stubbornly in love with each other – and for the life of me, I can't understand _why_ – but she's crazy about you. So quit being so self-conscious."

Steve exhaled, brows knitting. "Yeah, I guess." He shook his head. "You're probably right."

"I _am_ right. And thank you."

"Okay." Steve clamped a heavy hand on the Camaro. "I'll let you go get some work done."

Danny didn't miss a beat. "You're going to go web stalk this Charlie Fong guy, aren't you?"

Steve laughed as he headed back towards the building. His partner knew him way too well. "Won't hurt to get a little background," he smirked, holding up a hand in goodbye without a backward glance.

* * *

_Steve McGarrett _appeared on Kono's LCD as the screen beeped.

She spared a glance at the man in the passenger seat. Charlie Fong smiled back at her, kind eyes crinkling. Kono swallowed and, at the last second, decided to press speaker.

"Hey, Boss," she called, pulled on her seatbelt.

"Hey, Kono." Steve's voice crackled, then stopped. There was a pause. "Am I on speaker?"

"Uh huh." _True._ "I'm driving." _Half-true._

"You with the HPD guy?"

"Yeah."

"Did you guys finish collecting those gas samples yet?"

"Yeah, we just got the last one. We're headed back to the lab now to see if we can land a match."

"Okay, fine, listen." Steve sounded either impatient or annoyed, or both. "We think we have a suspect but we need evidence. So let me know when you get something."

"Got it."

The line went dead.

"Wow." Kono let out a breath heavier than she'd anticipated. _That was uncomfortable. _She shrugged at Charlie. "No pressure, huh?"

* * *

Steve immediately sat up straighter on the bench when he saw Kono jogging out of the water post-surf-lesson, laughing. He could see her student, the little girl with blond pigtails, happily chattering with Kawika and Kono. It really was cute how much the little kids around the surf camp all looked up to and seemed to idolize Kono so much; she was like the cool big sister they never had.

Kono hugged the little girl goodbye. Steve cleared his throat and shifted in his seat.

"Hey, Fidgety Joe," Danny joked, folding his arms. "Remind me to thank you for asking me to come spend a free afternoon hanging around the beach waiting for Kono to get out of surf camp."

"Stop whining."

"No, no, I'm actually serious," Danny clarified, waving a hand. "It's a beautiful day out, we're away from water, there's a bunch of cute little kids running around…" He smirked here. "And there's some _great_ sight-seeing." He punctuated this with a meaningful head tilt at Kono and some other bikini-clad surfer girls.

Steve glanced at him from the corner of his eye and smirked. "You serious? You want a black eye to go with that swollen shoulder?"

"Whoa, down, boy." Danny laughed and put up his hands in feigned surrender. "Calm down, I wasn't checking out your girl. I was actually talking about _that _one over there."

Steve looked over where Danny was pointing. There was a pretty brunette woman with a small face and navy maxidress, walking alongside a tall Asian man in a tank top and board shorts.

"Really?" Steve asked. "You think she's prettier than Kono?"

There was a long pause. "Okay," Danny held up a finger. "Now, see, I recognize that I cannot possibly win in any of these conversation scenarios. Ergo, I'm just going to stop talking."

"Is that so? I like that idea."

"Thought you would."

They chuckled and returned to their lounging.

"Oh."

Steve turned to Danny at the sudden noise. "What?"

"Oh. Ho." Now it was Danny's turn to sit up straighter. "Would you look at that? They know each other."

"Who?"

Danny gestured down the hill to the shore, where the girl in the maxidress was giving Kono a big hug.

"Kono and that woman. And that guy, too, apparently."

"Huh." Steve watched silently as the three greeted each other, obviously old friends. After a while of talking, Kono suddenly grinned at the man, who held out his arms sheepishly. Kono shoved him teasingly, with a loud laugh.

"Wait, you don't think that's Kelly Yang and Charlie Fong, do you?" Danny asked.

Steve clenched his jaw. "I do now."

"Oh God. Please – _please – _tell me you're not about to do something stupid."

"I'm not." Steve sat back in his seat, relaxing slightly. He shrugged. "I'm not. Why would I? They're just talking."

"Good. This is good. You're acting like a sane person. I like this change of pace."

Down on the shore, Kono had just finished her conversation, said goodbye to her friends, and was finally heading up towards Steve and Danny.

"Aloha, surfer girl," Danny called out to her, standing and holding up a hand in high five in greeting.

Kono laughed and slapped his hand. "Aloha, brah. You're catching on," she grinned. "Now we get you in some slippers and you're practically local." She laughed.

Then Kono turned to greet Steve. The smile she reserved for him was different; a genuinely radiant and incandescently happy beam. There seemed to be a loaded silence.

"Hi," she exhaled deeply, grinning.

Steve grinned back. "Hi."

The sun beamed down on both of them.

"O-kay then," Danny raised his eyebrows. "Uncomfortable. I'm guessing this is my cue to leave. Hey, is your cute friend still around?"

"Kelly?" Kono ran a hand through her dripping hair and missed the meaningful glance Steve threw at Danny. "Yeah, she's down by the water somewhere with Charlie."

"Ah. Charlie. Right." Danny placed a slight emphasis on the name. "Well, I'll meet you guys by the car once you finish up– ah, chatting." He smirked.

"Yeah, get out of here," Kono laughed, shoving him hard.

When Danny had left (with a final subtle backwards thumbs up at Steve), Kono turned back to Steve, smiling. "Thank you guys for coming today," she said. "Your support for these kids means a lot."

"Nah," Steve demurred, shrugging with a small one-sided smirk. "You kidding? This is fun. Not like we had anything to do today anyway."

"Well, in any case. I'm just happy that what rare down time you have not chasing down bad guys with me … you choose to spend waiting around for me." Kono smiled.

"Yeah, well. I wouldn't," Steve started lowly, taking a step towards her, "want to be anywhere else." He grinned rakishly down at her and reached for her face.

Kono made a small noise of dissent and pulled away. "Um." She cleared her throat and scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. "Is Chin here?"

"No," Steve replied, recomposing himself. "He actually called a while ago to say he had to take care of something."

"Oh."

"Don't worry." He tried again, this time gently tucking a strand of Kono's wet hair behind her ear and running his other hand down her bare waist. He kissed her softly on the cheek, then a little more fervently on the corner of her lips.

Once again, however, Kono stiffened at the touch and squirmed out of Steve's arms. "Yeah, but there are other people around, too," she murmured quietly, not meeting Steve's eye. She crossed her arms self-consciously across her body.

Steve stared incredulously. "Other people?" His face scrunched up into a squinty expression of disbelief. "Other – what – who could possibly be here who would care about seeing me with you? Danny already knows."

"Kelly and Charlie could easily –"

"_Oh_." The mention of the name ignited something previously dormant in Steve. "Oh, right!_ Charlie_." He spoke the name the same way one would say the word "feces." He arranged his voice into a mock understanding tone and put a hand to his forehead. "No, no, I understand. You don't want your old boyfriend seeing you with someone else. And maybe you also conveniently didn't mention to him that you're kind of already seeing someone – you know, just in case, right?"

Kono looked completely taken aback at Steve's outburst, mouth slightly open in shock. "Just in case? What are you talking about?"

"Just in case he wanted to start something up again, you'd keep your options open."

"Oh my God," Kono replied, voice going up an octave in anger. "Are you serious? Steve, Charlie Fong was _never_ my boyfriend – I don't even know how –"

"How I knew that you two used to be a little more than playground buddies? Yeah. Chin Ho told me."

"What? _Chin _knew?" Kono narrowed her eyes in surprise even more. "That's ridiculous. _I_ didn't even remember how I knew Charlie. He refused to tell me until just now, I swear."

"Well, I'm glad to see you guys are learning more about each other. What'd you guys talk about on your long car ride up and down Kamehameha?"

"Stop it." Kono's eyes were wide, but blazing with impatience.

"No, no – did you guys talk about the time he got kicked out of Zanzabar for underage drinking?"

"Are you –"

"Or how about the time he and his Punahou crew got pulled over for reckless racing on the way back from Lanikai?"

When Kono got the chance to speak again, her fury was evident. "Did you," she started dangerously, voice on edge, "_background_ check Charlie?"

Steve matched her even tone. "Just wanted to make sure the guy was good enough for our little rookie."

There was a long, dangerous silence.

"This was a bad idea," Kono said, voice quiet.

"What?"

"This." Kono waved a hand around. "Us. Maybe we should stop this."

Steve remained silent, only regarding her with that usual blank, raised-brow stare and clenched jaw. This wasn't exactly the turnout he'd wanted, but as ridiculously stubborn as he was in hating to lose arguments, he didn't protest.

Kono stared at Steve a moment longer in disbelief, waiting for a reaction. When Steve didn't say anything else, she laughed humorlessly and rolled her eyes to the sky. "Yeah," Kono exhaled sharply, voice flat. "Okay. Whatever. I'll just – catch a ride home with Kawika. See you tomorrow." With that, she turned and left, discreetly wiping at her left eye as she went.

Steve watched Kono go for a very long time, watched her stop by Danny and the car briefly, watched her shrug off approaches by other friends, watched her disappear into Kawika's car.

_Fuck. _Steve felt like shit, but it was too late to say anything now._ I just fucked things up._

After what seemed like an intolerable walk, Steve finally made it to the Camaro, pulled open the door, and sank into the driver's seat. He sighed deeply, everything scribbled heavily on his knitted eyebrows. And there, for a long while, he only sat, not really seeing anything – staring off into space as he sorted through the tumultuous torrent in his brain.

"Ahem." Danny cleared his throat from the passenger side.

Steve ignored it.

Taking the silence as confirmation, Danny continued quietly, "Look. I know you don't want to hear this right now, but –"

"You're right, I don't," Steve murmured under his breath, shifting to put the key in the ignition.

"You know…" Danny trailed off, talking over him, "Kono's been shot at, kidnapped, beat up, held hostage, stabbed." He paused, voice low and serious. "But I'd never seen her cry before today." He looked over at Steve.

Reluctantly, Steve glanced back at his partner, his brows knitted in discontent. _What do you want me to say to that? _

And as if replying to his wordless question, Danny spoke. "Fix this," he demanded quietly.

Steve turned away, turning the key in the ignition so that the engine roared to life. "I know," he responded.

They didn't speak again all the way back.

* * *

(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it. Sorry I had to mess with the dynamic... Charlie's insertion threw my plot off! But don't worry - super Steve will fix things. Heh. Anyway, please feel free to let me know whatever thoughts you may have had about this chapter! (or anything!) Thanks for reading, and I'll update soon!


	14. Ua Hiki Mai Kapalena Pau

(A/N) Hi guys! Thanks for keeping up with this fic! I really appreciate it. :) Tonight's the finale! AHH! I'm so excited, but at the same time, so bummed that that means no new episodes until next season.  
Big thank you's go out to: francis2, lynnrxgal, Yellow Tang, BethBobbyxoxo, In An Amethyst Flash, Mary, cjhar, Martha Smith-Jones, topdog19, sammie28 (wow, how much do I LOVE your insightful reviews? you actually get me thinking about my own story, haha!), Froggie2, jodiesto, zebraboymom, Caffeine Kiddo, Lily, Kono ftw (lol nice), annaliesegrace, BandBfan (I was spoiler free but I couldn't help myself from reading ones on tumblr, haha), sb4ever, rice117, ExodusBeteNoire, and TivaIsTheBest! Thank you for the constant kind words and support that inspire me. :)  
Oh, and a good question from Exodus: "I'm not sure why Kono was so concerned about Charlie seeing Steve kiss her." I was thinking that she didn't want anyone who knew both her and Chin seeing her with Steve and then possibly mentioning it to Chin too. hehe.

This chapter covers a bit before and during the latest episode with Sang Min and the sarin. Again, it's a little long. Apologies... it got really hard to cut down. haha. Well, onwards!

* * *

Steve took a deep breath and rapped, three times, lightly on the Cruze window.

The pretty girl sitting in the backseat of her car, curtain of dark hair covering half her face, didn't move.

He knocked again. "Kono," he muttered under his breath, exhaling sharply in frustration. He knew she probably couldn't hear him, but he persisted in his quiet pleading anyway. He placed an arm on the roof of the car. "Come on. Open the door."

After a long pause of silent waiting, Steve heard the lock of the four doors click open. He said a thank you in mental relief. Tentatively, Steve slid into the seat next to her and shut the door. There was silence. "Hi," he started politely, staring intently.

Kono didn't respond, only looked down at her hands, folded in her lap. "Hi," she finally replied, flatly.

Steve sighed. It'd only been a day since their argument, but it'd might as well have been an eternity. He'd lain awake the entire night before, brows furrowed and hands behind his head, mentally rehearsing all of the things he wanted to say to Kono. But in the end, he'd scrapped all of them – deciding that this really wasn't something he could plan or rehearse. He was counting on it all coming out, his thoughts catalyzed by the sight of her.

From their spot from the HPD parking lot, he could see the little stores across the street starting to open, the bustling Hawaiian work day getting started. Steve let them both sit in comfortable silence for a while, soaking in the early rays and salty air. "You know…" he finally began, "I was Homecoming King my senior year at Kukui."

At this, Kono pursed her lips, but didn't say anything.

"I know, I know – don't judge me," Steve quickly frowned at her reaction, his eyes scrunching up in distaste as he struggled to explain. "But it's not like it meant anything. I mean, I was the quarterback and we'd won the game, so it was pretty much default." He stopped, looking resigned, then sighed in surrender. "Don't tell Danny."

Kono was silent.

"Anyway, I was Homecoming King, and I took my girlfriend home after the big game. Natalie. Something. You'd think I'd remember my first time more."

Silence.

Steve shook his head brusquely. "I don't know, I mean, my teammates all told me it was just something I should do… so I just did." He trailed off, squinting into the distance. "She actually asked me later how it was." A pause. "And you know what I said to her? I said 'it was fine', and told her to drive herself home. Exact words."

Kono's gaze shifted from her hands. "Is this story," she started, "supposed to impress me or something?" She wasn't facing him, but Steve could almost hear a trace of a laugh in her sleek voice. He took that as a good sign.

"Just hear me out," he insisted, pretending to look annoyed. "You think I'm not embarrassed telling you these things? I'm losing a lot of face here."

Kono finally laughed.

"Anyway," Steve continued, "then there was Catherine. You know."

"I know."

Steve sighed deeply. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I really like her. A lot. At one point in my life, I even thought I could love her. And you know… I always had the right things to say and I always did know how someone in my position should've felt. But – and I tried telling myself this wasn't true on multiple occasions, but if I ever stopped to be completely honest with myself: the only times she even really crossed my mind were the times we needed her help." Steve shook his head, looking tormented. "Even then, I knew that wasn't… right. Even though I couldn't tell you what a real relationship was supposed to feel like, I knew that wasn't it. That that wasn't the way I was supposed to feel about someone I loved. I don't know." He shrugged. "For a while, I thought there might just be something wrong with me."

Kono laughed softly.

"If you stop to think about it, I've only ever really loved two women in my life," Steve continued on. "Loved them enough to even want to let them into my life, I mean." He stopped, a ghost of a fond smile tracing his lips. "Mary-Ann and, uh, my mom."

At this, Kono's brows furrowed slightly in concern. She reached out a hand and placed it on Steve's, giving him a tiny smile.

He looked at her in surprise, then gave a tiny smile back. He stroked a thumb over Kono's warm skin. "I guess you could say I really don't let people into my life that easily."

"Yeah, I think we can say that." Kono smirked easily to let him know she was only teasing.

"Ha." Steve faced forward again. He sighed deeply. "Then… I don't know, then there was the whole string of events that started happening, pretty much since the day you joined the team. Jealousy, over-protectiveness, driving to your house on a Saturday just to see you. At first, I didn't want to face these things. You understand why, right? I didn't have the experience to understand what was happening. And I guess it – threw me off."

"Threw you off."

"Right. I don't usually do that."

"I see."

"Part of me – just – didn't really believe that I could be having these feelings so strongly for someone I'd just met. Someone younger. Someone I worked with. Chin Ho's cousin. All of it. So I kept trying to avoid thinking too much about our situation… and just kept it light. Like all the other relationships I've ever had in my life.

"But yesterday, all the feelings I kept trying to avoid dealing with just came out. And I'm sorry – Kono, look at me, I'm _so_ sorry – for hurting you, all right? I should've trusted you. But I want to tell you that I don't want to avoid anything anymore." Steve shook his head. "This isn't Catherine or Natalie. _This_ is what it's really supposed to feel like. This is right. _We're _right. I know it now."

There was a long silence. Kono's eyes were round, wide as she digested Steve's words. She was slowly but absentmindedly nodding at him, the hand that was still enclosed in Steve's wringing against his. After chewing on the inside of her cheek for a while, she finally shifted in her seat and grinned.

"So. Is Stoic Seal trying to tell me he – uh – he loves me?" Kono flickered her gaze up at him playfully, biting her lip.

Steve let out a heavy exhalation and chuckled, sounding like he'd been holding his breath for a long time. "Hah." He raised one eyebrow. "Maybe. Is that a problem?"

"No… of course it's not a problem." A beam slowly spread across Kono's face as the magnitude of the moment continued to settle upon her. "Maybe I'm saying the same thing back." Smiling, she leaned in and gingerly placed a sweet kiss on Steve's rugged cheek.

A relief that seemed almost immeasurable washed over Steve. The effect of Kono's touch was almost instantaneous. The second her lips grazed his cheek, Steve shifted in his seat after her, placing a hand behind Kono's neck and tilting his face to access her still-smiling lips.

She giggled softly at the effect.

After a while, Steve released Kono's lips and rested his forehead lightly against hers. He stared into her eyes. "Please tell me you forgive me."

"Yes," Kono nodded, mock-seriously. "I forgive you."

"Good." Steve kissed her again, more deeply this time, running his hands haphazardly through her hair. He paused, inhaling sharply, when after a while, he felt Kono's nimble fingers undoing the belt on the top of his cargo pants.

"Uh, ha -, Chin-" Steve managed to stutter out, breathlessly. "Chin's inside the building." He carefully pried Kono's hand away – an act that took every last ounce of his moral strength. _Turning down advances from a girl like Kono __Kalakaua when she's practically begging you to take her? _Steve swallowed roughly. _I should get a damn medal for this. _

But luckily, a medal ceremony wasn't necessary. "I don't care," Kono responded with steely determination. "If he finds out, he finds out."

Steve gave her a surprised look, cocking an eyebrow in slight admiration. "Oh yeah? Is that right?"

"That's right." Kono smirked back in a way that sent anticipatory goosebumps down Steve's forearms. Steve could already feel it. _This is going to be good_.

Kono's fingers resumed her work; within seconds, she successfully had Steve exactly the way she wanted him. "Geez, how do you manage to do that so fast?" Steve growled. He slid off Kono's plaid button-up off her smooth tanned arms, biting down at the spot where her neck met her shoulders. This elicited an appreciative groan from Kono.

"Years of practice," she replied, joking breathlessly. "No, I'm kidding."

"You better be."

"Yeah, now that I know how jealous you can get, McGarrett."

At this, Steve grinned against Kono's neck and grabbed her roughly by the waist so that her body was flush against his. He ran his hands so hungrily over her stomach that he left an imprint trail on her skin.

"Wait, wait," Kono interrupted him suddenly, sitting up. "Hold on."

Steve held his breath. _You're shitting me_. He could tolerate this once – maybe twice – but this was the third time. "What's going on?"

But Kono only smirked and stretched her arm towards her bag in the front seat of her car. As she was digging through her things, Steve took advantage of Kono's position to leave fervent kisses on the soft skin of her outstretched arm.

Then all of a sudden, the dulcet velvety voice of Nathan Morris filled the interior of the car. At this, Steve's eyes snapped open, to the sight of Kono grinning and dangling her iPod from between two fingers.

"_On Bended Knee?_ You serious?" Steve couldn't help but chuckle, over the swell of the soft R&B. "What, you trying to bring back memories of your 10 year old Charlie Fong hookup?"

"No." Kono smiled, tossing the iPod haphazardly back onto the driver's seat so she could wrap her arms around Steve's neck. "I think it's time to make some new memories."

There was a brief silence. Steve stared down at her, his steely eyes locked on hers. "You." He chuckled appreciatively, breaking into a lopsided grin. "You're amazing."

"Aw. You are too, Boss."

* * *

Deep down, Steve knew the day would come – the day Chin Ho would finally confront him about him and Kono. They had been more than teammates for a while now, and sometimes they were still surprised at how much they got away with without being caught.

But that didn't mean that Steve still wasn't mildly surprised one day when Chin walked into his office, solemn expression plastered on his already usually solemn face.

"McGarrett," he greeted him in front of the big wooden desk.

Steve looked up from his paperwork. He took one look at Chin's face and knew what was coming. "Hey, Chin," Steve responded with a head nod, setting down his pen hesitantly.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

Chin looked hesitant, then sat down in the chair opposite Steve. He ran a hand over his mouth and cleared his throat roughly. "Alright, I have to ask. Is there something, ah, going on – between you and Kono?"

The muscles in Steve's jaw tensed, once, then relaxed. He held his breath slightly before exhaling. "Yeah. There is."

Chin's head dropped down toward his folded hands as if conceding, _I knew it. _He looked up at Steve again, determined to power through this awkward stage. "So, what – are you guys a thing now? Going out? Sleeping together?"

Steve didn't flinch. "Yes."

"Which?"

"All of it."

A brief pause. "How long has this been going on?"

"A month. Maybe more."

Chin winced and exhaled out slowly through his nose, nodding and letting out controlled breaths as if it were a means of coping with this new barrage of information. "Okay."

During the thick silence that followed, Steve ventured an olive branch. "So Danny said you'd cut off my balls and have me strung and quartered."

Chin chuckled under his breath – sharply but not wholly unkindly. "I'm not going to do that."

"Well, my balls thank you."

Chin pointed a finger. "Doesn't mean I like this though."

"Why not?" Steve looked slightly affronted.

"Look – you're a good guy, McGarrett. The best."

"Thank you."

Chin smiled. "You just, ah… have a lot of stuff going on in your life right now."

Steve nodded. _Fair enough. Maybe even an understatement. _He sighed. "Chin, I –" He began, then went on, "it's not like that. Kono and I. We're not just messing around, you know what I mean? I think… we have something. More. Something good." Steve silently berated himself; he was never the best with formulating words or feelings.

Chin smiled at his boss's attempt. He recognized that this level of response from the usually reserved Steve was already a pretty big step. "Really. No shit?"

"I mean it."

"Fine. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. For now." Chin rose to his feet, laugh lines appearing on his face as he smiled. "I have to be perfectly honest. If I'm really going have to see my little cousin with someone… I'm not completely upset that it's you."

Steve gave him a genuine smile. "Thanks, Chin. Really. I appreciate that."

"But just remember." Chin held up a warning finger, shifting to serious. "If you hurt her, I won't hesitate to hurt you." He paused and chuckled. "Well – at least, _attempt_ to hurt you."

* * *

There was someone in the lobby who wasn't usually supposed to be there.

"Uh… hi," Kono greeted the unfamiliar person as she walked in, slowly drawing out the word in hesitation. "Can I help you?"

The pixie-haired brunette turned around, wide-eyed. She seemed jumpy and jittery as she held up a palm in greeting. "Hi Kono," she replied, then instantly furrowed her brow in concern and waved her hand around nervously. "Actually, I don't think we've been properly introduced yet. Sorry. It's just - I have really good memory – like, not bragging or anything, but just that it embarrasses me sometimes, like sometimes I'll remember a person but they won't and then I just seem creepy, but I promise I'm not really –"

"Whoa, Jenna." Kono let out a hesitant chuckle. "Easy, girl. No, I totally remember who you are. Agent Kaye. CIA." She folded her arms. "So what's up? What brings you to 5-0?" _In more ways than one, _she couldn't help mentally adding.

"I need to see McGarrett."

_I'm sure you do. _"I think he's on the phone with the governor at the moment. Do you want me to pass along a message?"

Jenna inhaled and puffed up, in an attempt to look as adamant as a mousy bespectacled analyst could. "No. I need to see him now. It's important."

"How important?"

"I have intel."

Kono opened her mouth to speak again, but Jenna continued.

"On Wo Fat."

* * *

Kono sat up instantly at the first sign of movement from the lump in the hospital bed. She swung her long legs from where they had been dangling over the arms of the chair and smiled.

"Ho brah," she grinned down at her ill blond friend when he finally opened his eyes and looked around. "How are you feeling?"

"Agh." Danny croaked and tried to slowly sit up. He gave Kono a weak smirk. "Like death warmed over, actually."

"Aw, poor baby. That sarin really did a number on you."

Danny smiled and put a hand on Kono's. Despite his pallid complexion, his eyes still held their usual playful glint. "Thanks for visiting."

Kono squeezed back. "Of course. And Steve said he's going to stop by with Gracie later."

"Ah. That's great." Danny smiled and leaned back against his pillows, exhaling. "That McGarrett. He'll deny it till his dying day, but he's – he's a good guy."

Kono smiled faintly. "I know."

"I assume that means you guys worked things out?"

"Yeah. He stopped by the car the other day and we talked things over." At the mention of the tantalizing memory, Kono bit down on her lip to keep from smiling.

"What?" Danny snapped instantly, giving her a suspicious smirk. "You're turning red. What are you smiling about?"

Kono flushed. "Nothing." Unfortunately, the harder she tried not to smile, the harder she blushed. And also unfortunately, Danny had become a pro at reading her expressions.

"_No_." He gave her a mock-judgmental glance through the corner of his eye. "You're kidding me."

Kono didn't answer, but, to her chagrin, only blushed harder.

"I don't believe it." Danny chuckled mirthlessly and threw up a hand in disbelief. "I don't believe it. _Only_ McGarrett. Only that bastard could get into a car with a girl who hated his guts, talk her into forgiving him, sweep her off her feet, and fuck her in the backseat, all by the time he steps out of the car again. God, how does he do it? I hate him so much."

"Excuse me," Kono scoffed primly, eyes crinkling with laughter. "You make me sound so easy."

"Are you? Are you really though, Kono?"

"Shut up. I hate you." She laughed and held up a finger. "Okay? I'll have you know – he said he loved me."

"_Whoa_." Danny stopped laughing immediately. He squinted at Kono in shock. "Wait, what – you serious?"

"Yeah." Kono's lighthearted voice faltered a bit at Danny's reaction. She had been hoping what Steve had told her wasn't as big of a deal as she'd initially thought it was – that maybe she had been overestimating its magnitude – but Danny's surprised face indicated otherwise.

"Wow. Kono. That's – that's a big deal." Danny leaned forward and locked eyes with her. "Geez. That puts you up there with his mom and Mary Ann, you understand that, right?"

"Oh God." Kono raised her brows and took a deep, shaky breath. "I know."

"You, ah, you tell him you love him too?"

A small smile flitted across Kono's lips. "I did."

"Wow." Danny nodded in approval and leaned back in his bed. He exhaled deeply in the silence. "Who would've thought, huh? You and McGarrett."

"I know." Kono smiled. "You know, I still go back to that day sometimes – that day Chin Ho introduced me to you guys. Turned out to be one of the best days of my life."

"Yeah, I remember that. Great day for the team, too." Danny smiled nostalgically, then downshifted to serious. "And to be perfectly honest… for a while there, I'm pretty sure both Steve and I kind of had a thing for you."

Kono blushed. "Yeah. There were times when I suspected that."

"Of course, McGarrett would never admit it."

"Of course."

"And then he goes and ends up getting the girl in the end. Lucky man."

There was silence. Kono shifted uncomfortably under the trace of wistfulness that settled in Danny's eyes as he gazed at her. Then his eyes cleared and the moment passed.

"You really do love him, don't you?" he asked quietly.

"I do."

"Yeah, I thought so." Danny pretended to sigh deeply. "Well, it was worth a shot. We never would've worked out anyway."

Kono smirked, cocking a brow. "Oh really? And why not, Williams?"

"Eh. You're not really my type. You know. I usually like them a little more pale and a lot less badass. Oh, and a far better cook."

"Excuse me? Uh, _I_ can cook."

"Grilling a burger and throwing an egg on top does not count."

"Oh, I know you aren't dissing the loco moco, brah. It's a Hawaiian specialty."

"And I've been here long enough to know that those two words are usually synonymous with something my taste buds are going to be very unhappy with."

Kono giggled. "Alright. Just for that, I'm going to bribe the nurse to sneak some spicy ahi onto your food tray tomorrow." She stood and brushed down her shirt. Before she turned to leave, Kono rested a hand on Danny's again. "Hey, Danny?"

"What's up?"

There was a brief pause. Kono smiled. "Thanks."

Danny exhaled and smiled back. "You bet, kid."

* * *

(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it. As always, feel free to let me know what you thought in a review! Thanks so much for reading, and I'll update soon. :) (p.s. 6 hours until the finale! AHHH!)


	15. Oia'i'o I

(A/N) Hi all! SO! BIG STUFF. One - so what about that CRAZY finale, huh? haha. Super unexpected and intense. so unexpected, actually - that I had to scrap all of my original plans for the final chapters of this fic (can you believe that, at one point, I had a happy ending written out, complete with Steve and Kono dining happily at the Hilton? What was I thinking? lol.) But how much did you LOVE that the end of the entire season concluded with a hot hot hot Steve/Kono scene? I swear I could watch that gif all day, haha. Unfortunately, that brings me to Two - the end of this fic! AHH! I'm beyond beyond bummed that it's come to an end, because I've had the absolute greatest time writing this. No exaggeration. Sometimes writing this fic would be the only way to get me through class lectures (HAHA, I seriously sat in the back rows for all my classes for 4 months straight). So I wanted to thank you all for allowing me the privilege of writing this for you all. Without an audience, this fic idea would've gone to die in the back of my Steve/Kono-filled head.

Thank you's from last chapter go to: In An Amethyst Flash, NICHUNICHUNICHU, xxLilyRC, francis2, aqiran, BethBobbyxoxo, zebraboymom, Froggie2, and Sammie28! And general thank you's just go out to anyone who's stuck with this fic from its earliest days back in January. I really appreciate the unending support! What an absolutely amazing fandom. :)

SO, the last chapters cover the finale. It got super long, so I cut it into two (ah well, double the fun, no? haha). I had kind of a hard time writing these; I watched the finale episode like 4 times, I read other author's takes on what happened, I tried to understand the motives and actions of every character (which was freaking difficult, haha). I still don't know if I got it all right. But I hope you enjoy the final product, because I definitely had a great time writing it. OKAY, enough blathering from me. On to the laaaast chapters! :(

* * *

From the moment that Kono opened her eyes that morning, she knew it was going to be a bad day.

And as a part of the 5-0 task force, Kono had _definitely_ been through her share of "bad days"; bad days that transcended even the worst days of the average Joe. Even so, she'd still woken up with a deep, dreadful feeling in the pit of her stomach – _today is going to be bad. Worse than usual. _It took Kono a while to recognize that the foreign feeling growing inside her was something she hadn't felt in so long that she almost couldn't put a finger on it… fear. Fear, mixed with anxiety – pulsing like a drum against her ribcage.

It all started with the unexpected disappearance of Chin Ho from Kono's guest room (a place where Chin had often become comfortable staying in since knowing that a bookie had recently held the deed to his own house).

"Chin?" Kono called, peering into the modest bedroom. "You here?" The room was empty; the bed sheets were rumpled and his badge and phone were gone from the side table. Kono pulled her hoodie tighter against her body and reached for her phone, dialing Chin's number. It went straight to voice mail.

"Shit." Kono cursed as she hung up, feeling the seed of dread that she had woken up with begin to flower and stretch its dark tendrils. Any other day, she would've shrugged this off – maybe Chin went for a run, for a swim, for an early morning drive down Ala Moana – but today, something felt off.

Swallowing to appease her oddly constricted throat, Kono dialed again, this time number 2 on her speed dial. The man picked up on the first ring.

"Kono."

"Boss." She kept her voice steady. "I can't get a hold of Chin. Usually I wouldn't worry, but he normally leaves a note."

There was a pregnant pause. Then Steve said, sounding odd, "Don't worry, Chin's here with me."

"What? He is? Why - "

"Kono…" Steve interrupted, voice heavy. "Chin was just at HPD. He ran into Duke and, uh. He, uh – he-"

"What is it? You're making me nervous."

"Turns out HPD found the money." Steve exhaled heavily. "From the locker. They're running intact serial numbers as we speak."

Kono felt her heart drop. _Shit. _"But… that's impossible," she stammered in disbelief. "We both watched it burn that day."

Steve chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah. Well. Apparently not all of it."

"Fuck."

"Yeah."

"What are we going to do?"

"Nothing." Steve sounded adamant. "There's no evidence that traces it back to us. So just – just come to work, okay? And we'll talk it out."

"Okay." Kono breathed out sharply. "I'll be right there."

"All right. Don't worry. Hey."

"Hm?"

There was a short silence. "I love you."

Kono's heart instantly warmed, the anxiety inside her melting away for what would be the first and last time that day. "I love you too," she replied, smiling weakly.

* * *

"Kono." Steve swung the HQ door outwards just as Kono pushed it open from the inside.

They both looked a little flustered at running into each other, as it had been nonstop frantic action for all of them since the Laura Hills car bomb. Kono and Chin had just returned from Laura's office, and Steve and Danny from Laura's house.

"Boss. What's up?" Kono glanced at the envelope and date book in Steve's hands. "What'd you guys find?"

"I'll tell you on the way," Steve replied quickly, already pulling her in the opposite direction.

"On the way where?"

Steve didn't meet her eye. "I need to analyze a writing sample."

"O-kay."

"I need, uh," Steve cleared his throat awkwardly. "I need HPD help. I was thinking – Charlie's help."

Kono suppressed a small smile. "You need Charlie Fong's help."

"Right. Can you drive?"

A one-sided smirk appeared on Kono's face. "Sure." She didn't press the subject, which she knew Steve would appreciate. "Let's roll."

Unfortunately, Danny didn't let them off as easily. "You guys taking the Cruze?" he called out to their retreating backs.

Kono and Steve wheeled around simultaneously, shooting Danny wide-eyed glares.

"Yeah, you should drive the Cruze," Danny repeated, grinning widely. "Maybe then you'll, uh, _get lucky _with matching the writing sample."

Kono's eyes narrowed at him in a death glare, her head shaking slowly in disapproval. Steve pursed his lips.

"You know what? I don't even want to know what this is about," Chin Ho sighed from Danny's side, folding his arms.

"Good." Steve gave Danny a final warning glare before turning back around brusquely, placing a hand on the small of Kono's back to direct her towards the door. "Now come on, let's go see Charlie."

When they were out of earshot in the hallway, Kono shot Steve a knowing glance. "Promise you'll be nice," she warned.

Steve pretended to look affronted. "What are you talking about? I'm always nice," he shrugged, squeezing down on Kono's shoulder and giving her a one-sided smirk.

* * *

"Kono!" The clean-cut Asian man in the lab coat looked up in surprise and smiled, his eyes kind and friendly. "It's good to see you again. How are you?"

Kono smiled back. "Hi, Charlie. I'm good."

"What brings you to HPD?"

"Well, I had a question - "

"Actually, _I _had the question," Steve cut in purposefully, putting a protective arm around Kono's waist (which prompted Kono to immediately pull away in embarrassment and snap under her breath, "Steve, stop it"). "I just had her bring me."

Luckily, Charlie didn't seem perturbed. "Okay, cool," he smiled politely in Steve's direction. His brows furrowed. "And you are, uh – "

Steve extended a hand, face now rearranged into its usual formal countenance. "Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett. Nice to meet you."

Charlie's smile widened as he firmly shook Steve's hand. "_Oh_! You're Commander McGarrett! Of course. Nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you."

Steve smirked. "What has Kono been telling you?"

"Oh." Charlie looked confused at this for a second. "Uh, not Kono. I meant from HPD. You and your team have a great reputation among the force."

There was a long silence – in which Steve appeared slightly taken aback and Kono tried (and failed) to stifle a loud giggle.

Finally, Steve cleared his throat awkwardly and frowned. "Right. So. Anyway." He held up the envelope and date book he had been clutching in his hand and tossed it onto Charlie's lab table. "You think you can help us match a writing sample?"

* * *

The black Chevy screeched into the HQ parking lot, coming to a stop a couple of feet in front of Kono. Before the engine was even cut, the heavy door swung open and Steve stepped out, running a frantic hand through his hair.

Kono's heart picked up. "Hey, I got your text. What is it?" she snapped, jogging over to him. "What's wrong?"

Steve's eyes were dangerous, pupils darting around nervously. Kono had never seen him like this before, and it scared her. She ran her hands down the sides of Steve's arms to calm him. "Hey, hey, look at me. You're going to be okay. What's wrong?"

Steve ran a hand over his jaw. "I – uh, I'm about to do something really stupid."

"Wait." Kono let her hands drop to her side and took a step back. "You don't – you mean break into the governor's house?"

Steve shushed her, frowning. He paced in a circle, hand to his head. "Yeah. I have to. Finding out if this key fits the bureau in her office could mean the answer to Laura's murder and my parents' murders –"

"Okay."

Steve paused in his pacing. "What?"

"Okay." Kono set her jaw in determination. "Don't explain. You do what you have to do."

At this, Steve's face suddenly seemed to slump with relief. He exhaled heavily and scooped Kono into his arms. "God. And this is why I love you so much."

Kono smiled half-heartedly as she reveled in Steve's embrace, but she couldn't fight the feeling of uneasiness still gnawing at her.

"Just – be careful," she breathed, into Steve's shoulder. "Okay?"

"You know me. Always am," Steve exhaled brusquely, pulling away and planting a rough kiss on Kono's cheek. Seemingly in double-time now, he climbed back into the car and shut the door.

Kono watched him leave, biting down on her bottom lip nervously.

At the last moment before he pulled out of the parking spot, Steve glanced back in Kono's direction. He nodded and gave her a small wink. _This better work, _he thought, as he swung the car onto the street.

* * *

Danny walked into HQ, looking strange, as if he were half-dreaming and half-awake. He moved slowly to one of the files on the center table, thumbing through but not really seeing it.

"Hey," Kono greeted him from where she was sitting.

When Danny didn't respond, Kono swung her legs off of the table and frowned in concern. "Yo. Earth to haole."

At this long-forgotten moniker, Danny finally looked up. "Yeah," he greeted her, eyes still a bit absent. "What's going on?"

"I could ask you the same thing. You look really out of it. Where were you just now?"

Danny took a deep, shaky breath. "Uh. I was, uh, with Rachel. She had some news."

"Am I allowed to ask what it was?"

Danny finally allowed her a small smile. "In due time."

A dimple appeared in Kono's left cheek in response. "Hah. Okay."

"Oh." Something suddenly seemed to dawn on Danny. "Right. Where's McGarrett?"

The smile faded from Kono's face. She opened her mouth briefly, then closed it again. "He's at home."

"At home. Right. And why don't I believe you?"

"No, I'm pretty sure he is." Then, as if selecting each word with careful precision, Kono settled on, "Although – I think you should drive over to see him. I think – he'll have some really important things to share with you if you force it out of him."

There was a silence. Danny folded his arms and regarded Kono skeptically. "What's with all the secrecy?"

Kono didn't smile back. "Steve did something today," she responded firmly, realizing how secretive she actually did sound. "And I haven't heard back from him, which usually would worry me, but mostly makes me suspect that he must have already found something. Important."

Danny's face hardened. He drew his lips into a grim line of disapproval and pinched the bridge of his nose, as if he somehow already had an idea what Steve had done. "Shit," he cursed under his breath. "I can't believe him. Okay." He shoved a hand in his pockets to retrieve his keys, looking weary. "Alright, thanks, Kono. I'll go have a word with our little Rebel Seal."

* * *

"We got a problem." Chin wheeled around to face Steve, face pallid. His voice was dangerously shaky, as if straining to be kept under control. "HPD is on its way right now to arrest you for killing Laura Hills."

The briefest sliver of a millisecond that followed was an absolute and utterly horrified silence.

Then suddenly, something in Steve's usually composed face seemed to collapse. The weight of the day mixed with the imminent dread took its toll on the man – his eyes squeezed shut, his mouth twisted into a panicked grimace, beads of sweat formed along his forehead.

Danny sank heavily into his hands, Kaye stood frozen in uncertainty, Chin silently clutched at his phone until his knuckles whitened.

But as for Kono – the only person she could concentrate on was Steve. Her eyes followed his every intricate expression with silent horror, her heart breaking at the way he struggled to remain calm. Steve's face remained stony and pale as usual, but his emotive eyes became wild and animalistic – as if wisps of desperation were trying to crawl out of them.

It scared Kono to see her usually fearless boss like this. She wanted nothing more than to reach out – to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, pull him into a hug, kiss him gently along his jaw to watch the tension that was settled there melt away.

But there was no time for that.

Before Kono could even move, Steve was running towards the window and pulling back the blinds. The sound of sirens was growing steadily louder.

Steve whirled around. "Kono. Get everything off the screens."

She nodded, speechless, and turned to the table, fingers flying over the keyboard.

"Wipe the drives. Wipe everything."

As she worked, watching the images of Laura Hills disappear off the screens and listening to her heart thump wildly in her ears, Kono only registered one phrase.

"I got to go."

It seemed to come from somewhere far away.

_No. Don't leave._

"No," Kono whispered, not realizing that she was suddenly talking aloud. She cleared the seventh hard drive and let her hands fall aimlessly to the table. She bounced her legs anxiously, pursing her lips to keep a stray tear at bay. "Don't leave."

Steve paused in his frantic pacing and turned to look back at Kono. For one quiet second, they were both still – each gazing helplessly back at the other.

Then Steve exhaled sharply and strode back towards Kono, his button-up flaring behind him as he ran.

When he reached her, he took her face in his hands. "Hey," he said, voice softening as he gazed into her wide, fearful eyes. "Hey. Kono. Look at me. It's going to be okay."

Kono didn't speak, only nodded.

"I'll be okay. We'll be together again soon. Trust me, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good girl. I love you."

Kono let Steve kiss her one last time before he released her and sprinted back towards the exit. "Everyone," he gave his team his final demand, swiping at his neck. "Clean house."

And with a final disappearance around the corner, Steve McGarrett was gone.

* * *

(A/N) Onwards...


	16. Oia'i'o II

The mood in the small office was impossibly tense. HPD had shoved the remainder of the 5-0 team into one room, much to everyone's annoyance.

Kono watched through the blinds as Danny spoke with HPD.

"I can't believe he can manage to stand there and be so polite to them," she muttered, voice almost dripping with venom. "Bunch of fucking idiots."

"Hey," Chin scolded her sharply. He was leaning against the desk, arms folded. "Watch yourself. Don't give them any reason to suspect you."

Kono sighed and drew back from the window. "Yeah, you're right."

The three retreated back into the thick silence.

"So…" Jenna Kaye finally broke it, attempting a wary smile in Kono's direction. "You and McGarrett, huh? I had no idea."

"Yeah," Kono replied shortly, gaze flitting up at the analyst. "I wouldn't go around advertising that in front of HPD, though."

"Cuz." Chin scolded her again, eyes glinting reprovingly.

As Jenna flushed in embarrassment, Kono sighed and ran her hands through her hair. She took a long moment to recompose herself, breathing in and out slowly. "I'm sorry," Kono finally apologized, gaze softening at Jenna. "Sorry. I'm – it's been a long day."

"I understand," Jenna responded generously. "I can only imagine how you must be feeling. It's been crazy."

"It really has."

The two women smiled weakly at each other, the moment only interrupted by the opening of the door.

Danny entered the room, sighing heavily and looking ten years older than he really was.

"So? What's going to happen? Do they really think McGarrett killed Laura Hills?" Kaye asked.

Danny clasped his hands together. "Right now it doesn't matter what they think, okay? It's all about the evidence. It's our job to prove that he didn't do it."

Chin, who had been shaking his head lightly the entire time, leapt up from the table, his silently fuming evidently bubbling over at last. "You know what? I'm not going to sit around and do nothing." He pushed open the door.

Kono watched her cousin go with a mixture of surprise and worry. "Chin, where are you going?" she called out, making her way to the door after him. "Chin!"

But she never got her answer, as a stout and serious-faced HPD officer suddenly appeared directly in front of her.

_Shit, they must've heard me call them 'fucking idiots' _was the first foolish thought that instantly flitted through Kono's head. Then, more lucidly, she heard:

"Officer Kalakaua. Detective Ahuna, Internal Affairs. I have orders to bring you in."

_What? Why? _Kono felt her heart sink and her skin break out in a cold sweat. "I already told your friends," she bit out, fighting to keep her tone steady, "that I don't know where McGarrett is."

"Actually. It's got nothing to do with the McGarrett situation."

At this, Danny stepped in front of Kono, knowing his teammate well enough now to recognize when she was about to lose her temper. "Alright, Ahuna," he replied calmly. "Then what the hell is this about?"

Detective Ahuna's gaze didn't leave Kono. "We got a witness that can place Officer Kalakaua at the scene of a break-in."

"What? What break-in?" Kono's voice went up angrily in volume.

"The HPD asset forfeiture locker."

Instant silence.

_Oh. _

_God. _

… _Fuck._

"Apparently you know about some money that went missing recently."

He could've heard a pin drop in the silence that continued. Kono swallowed imperceptibly.

Finally, Ahuna sighed. "Officer Kalakaua, I'm going to need you to come with me right now or face charges for obstructing an investigation."

Kono felt a sudden heat rise in her throat and press against her eyelids. Unsure about what to do, she glanced anxiously at Danny through the corner of her eye. _Help me, _was her unspoken plea.

Thankfully, Danny came through. "Relax, okay?" he appeased Ahuna, sounding a lot calmer than he undoubtedly felt. "She doesn't know anything."

To Kono, he tugged lightly on her shirt. "Hey."

She turned to him, wide-eyed.

"Uh, just keep your mouth shut. Don't say anything. We'll take care of it, okay?"

Kono could only nod stiffly, still speechless. It seemed that people had been promising her that all day. Before she could even answer him or Ahuna, she felt someone – she couldn't register clearly at this point anymore – push her gently out the door of the office.

Before she knew it, Kono was being shuttled out of 5-0, down the stairs, step by step, past dozens of uniformed HPD, out the building and into the sunshine. She shielded her eyes. It seemed amazing to her that all this could be happening while the sun was still beaming down on the happy island, that people were, at the very moment, going about their daily lives without a care in the world.

Kono's vision was glassy as she was guided into the back of an HPD vehicle. No shoving, no forcing. _This is so different. _The thought floated dizzily through her mind in her half-lucid state. _So different from our usual cases. I'm such a good suspect, aren't I? I didn't try to run. I didn't fight. No handcuffs necessary. Why couldn't all our suspects have been like me? _This suddenly registered as ironic, and Kono chuckled bitterly to herself. _Two days ago, I could've been driving one of these cars. Now I'm in the backseat. _

_And I'm guilty. _

Then Detective Ahuna slammed the car door shut, and the whole nightmarish week continued spiraling towards its culminating end.

* * *

Steve grimaced as Chin roughly pushed his head down into the back of the HPD vehicle.

"It was Wo Fat," Steve croaked at Danny, hearing the pleading desperation in his own voice. "It was Wo Fat, Danny – you understand me? It was Wo Fat."

"Let him go," Danny demanded, voice so heated it was almost dangerous. "Chin, you let him go."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can! We have jurisdiction with 5-0. Get him out."

"You don't understand, Danny," Chin snapped, cutting him off coldly. "There _is_ no 5-0 anymore."

The moment he heard Chin say this, Steve instantly lifted his head. As he silently gazed at the big yellow "HPD" letters scrawled across Chin's back, something occurred to him. _Chin's helping me. _He wasn't sure how exactly yet, but Steve recognized the slight catch in Chin's inflection, the way his hands balled once, then twice, as he stood there in front of the car. _I think Chin has a plan. _

Unfortunately, he was the only one who recognized this. Before Steve could shoot Danny a meaningful glance, the door slammed shut.

"What did you do, huh?" Danny heckled Chin, sounding utterly betrayed, hopeless. Even through the bulletproof glass, Steve could hear Danny's voice wobbling on the edge of anger and disappointment. "What did you do? You just – went back to them? After everything they did to you?"

Steve watched Chin carefully for his reaction. The Asian man didn't respond, only gazed calmly back at Danny before stepping into the passenger seat and shutting the door.

"Hey." Danny knocked on Steve's window. "Steve. Don't worry. I'll get you out of there. Hang in there, we'll get this thing straightened out, okay?"

_You can do it, Danno. _Steve stared back unseeingly as the engine roared to life. All the while, he kept his sight trained on Chin in the front seat. His ex-teammate, his ex-partner, his friend. _Come on, Chin. _Steve said a silent prayer. _Come through for us. I know you can do it._

Then the car jerked forward in motion, and the whole nightmarish week continued spiraling towards its culminating end.

* * *

"Number 5, step forward please."

Kono swallowed. She stepped off the platform, gripping her number plate with numb fingers. There, in the cold dark lineup room, there was no Chin Ho to keep her grounded, no Danny to come to her rescue, and no Steve to unconditionally protect her. _No ohana. _

For the first time in a long time, Kono felt undeniably and irrevocably alone.

A hot tear rimmed against Kono's lids. She let one trail down her cheek before she – angry and embarrassed with herself – wiped it away with the back of her hand.

* * *

"Alright, get him to mug shots."

Steve swallowed. Someone pushed him roughly from behind, towards the cherry doors. He followed absentmindedly.

Because for the first time in a long time, Steve didn't have a plan. Didn't have that lingering hope in the back of his mind that someone was on the way to save him. Sure, Danny said he'd figure things out, but there was nothing he could do right away. Sorting through the evidence could take ages.

For the first time in a long time, Steve felt undeniably and irrevocably alone.

He clenched his jaw so tightly it hurt. He found himself missing Kono.

* * *

Kono watched in a daze as Ahuna scribbled something onto his log. She hadn't spoken a word to him since her arrest at HQ.

"You're going to have to turn in your gun and badge pending an investigation," Ahuna was saying, not looking up at her. "_Miss_ Kalakaua." He emphasized the change in title to strike his point home. _No longer Officer. _

Kono squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth, reaching back to unhook her badge from her belt. As she did so, however, she felt someone watching her intently. She turned.

* * *

Steve froze dead in his tracks, mouth slightly parted in disbelief. _What the – is that–?_

He wasn't sure if it was his exhausted mind playing tricks on him or his overwhelming desire to see her making him hallucinate… because there was _no_ way that Kono Kalakaua could be standing across from him, in the same room, in the same police station, at that same time. _Right?_

Steve frowned, his eyebrows almost permanently drawn together as he inspected the girl across the room, using the last of his mental reserve to will her to turn around.

Same shoulder-length hair, same peach tank top that always hung ever so slightly off her tall thin frame, same endlessly long legs that ended in the same nervously shuffling Toms. _No… that's definitely Kono. But what – why – _

Then, as if right on cue, Kono happened to turn in Steve's direction, her face finally exposed from behind her dark sheet of hair.

She spotted him instantly.

For the long while that followed, they both seemed frozen in time. The rest of the station faded out. As if rooted to the spot they were in, they exchanged helpless glances of desperation.

It seemed like an eternity that Steve could only stand there staring back, stunned into knit-browed silence. Seeing Kono's pitiful expression – a mixture of guilt, confusion and fear – made his heart wrench. She looked so unnaturally small and vulnerable standing there that he wanted nothing more than to scoop her into his arms – to say or do something –_ anything_.

The officer behind the camera said something, but Steve barely noticed.

All he could focus on then was the fact that the girl he loved was currently standing across the room, needing him. And he needed her too.

Steve didn't even want to question what exactly Kono was in for. His eyes hungrily raced over every detail of her face, heart sinking at the sight of the sorrow in her eyes. The playful glint that usually inhabited them was gone, replaced by haunting guilt. Steve felt his heart plummet even more. _I'm going to get you out of this, Kono. Whatever this is. I promise._

"I said – turn and face the camera," the officer warned again.

Steve blinked out of his reverie. Still in a daze, he nodded stiffly and turned.

The ensuing camera flash left eruptions of light behind his eyelids. When he looked back in Kono's direction again, she was gone.

* * *

They passed again in the holding room. Steve was slumped on a bench against the wall, propped up by his elbows on his knees and hands resting wearily against his forehead. His handling officer was filling out paperwork behind the counter.

Kono walked in warily, barely even acknowledging her officer when he roughly instructed her to have a seat. All she could see now was the familiar man in black on the bench. She stopped short in the doorway.

"Steve." Her voice trembled in a shaky mix of apprehension and happiness.

Steve's head shot up instantly. "Kono." He quickly climbed to his feet and crossed the room in two easy strides. "Oh my God. Kono."

Kono felt warmth wash over her as their bodies met, as Steve's arms encompassed her, as he breathed her name again into her hair. Despite everything they'd been through, his embrace remained strong, and still made Kono feel as secure and safe as always. For a wonderfully fleeting second, Kono allowed herself to close her eyes and forget where she was. _We're far, far away… _She thought of crashing waves and pineapples.

Then Steve released her, his hands moving to her face. In one swift motion, he gently pushed her hair out of the way, tilted her chin up in his hands. "What happened?" he asked, blazing blue eyes bearing into hers. "Are you okay? Tell me who did this."

"I'm fine," Kono replied, placing her hands over Steve's and attempting a smile. It was the first full sentence she'd spoken since she'd entered the station. "I'm fine. I'm just, uh, under investigation." She glanced quickly at her guiding officer, who had been eyeing the two of them carefully. He shook his head once in warning.

"We can't talk about it right now," Kono replied, eyes dropping to the floor. "Steve. I'm so sorry."

"Forget that, forget that," he cut her off sharply. "So you're just under investigation? You're not going to jail, right?"

"Right." _Not yet, at least. _

"Oh God." Steve's face collapsed with relief, and he wrapped his arms around her again, this time giving her a long, heavy kiss that left Kono a little breathless.

"But." She finally whispered against his lips, her eyes still closed.

"But what?" he whispered back.

"They might."

"Might what?"

"Put me in jail."

At this, Steve stiffened and slowly pulled away. He shot the uniformed officers a cursory glance, then turned carefully so that the guards couldn't see them talking.

When their faces were hidden from sight, Steve leaned in close to Kono again. "This is about the asset forfeiture locker, isn't it?"

Kono gave a tiny nod. "Turns out there was a witness."

Steve groaned sharply. He looked exhausted. "Not the old woman."

"Bingo."

"Shit."

They pulled apart again. Steve paced around once in a circle, hand to his mouth.

Kono watched him with concern on her face. "Steve, please don't worry about me," she insisted. Instead, she took a deep breath and took a seat on the bench. "What happened with you?"

Steve stopped pacing. "They think I killed the governor."

His voice echoed loudly in the ensuing silence. The officers filling out paperwork looked up, glaring, but didn't say anything.

Kono was stunned. "What? Jameson's dead?"

"Yeah. And Wo Fat killed her."

"Oh God."

"There was no one on the property when HPD arrived. And he'd just discharged my gun. "

Kono felt bile rise in her throat. _What do I possibly say to that? _She looked down at her hands in disbelief. "But you couldn't have. I – I believe you."

Steve laughed derisively. "Yeah. Well. Tell that to your cousin."

At this, Kono's face paled. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. "No," she croaked dangerously, her vocal chords suddenly devoid of all function. "Don't – don't tell me Chin was reinstated."

"Cuffed me and threw me in the back of the car himself."

There was a long silence.

Kono looked up at Steve, wide eyes silently pleading with him to tell her that this was all a joke. _What the hell is happening to our team?_

He gazed back down at her, eyebrows raised and blank-faced. Then, suddenly, he angled his head slightly to the left, nodded, then looked away.

_Wait… what? _Kono narrowed her eyes into the distance, her heart picking up pace. Her thoughts instantly returned to the day (it seemed like ages ago) that she went undercover at the Madame's. Steve had used that exact signal when he'd found her – tilt left, nod once, wink. _To let me know everything was going to be all right._

Possibilities immediately began racing through Kono's head. _Did Chin take his old HPD spot back to be able to help us from the inside? If he did… maybe we do have a chance after all. But how long would that take?_

Wearily, Kono drew her legs onto the bench and draped her arms over her knees. She exhaled heavily, the stress of the day evident in her shuddering sigh.

Steve stood there a long while, gazing down sadly at his distraught teammate.

Finally, he pushed himself off of the counter where he was leaning and sat down next to Kono, wrapping an arm around her. She turned a bleary eye towards him and smiled. And they sat like that, in each other's arms, for a long time – until both of their heart rates returned to normal.

Steve tilted his head to find Kono's eye, his face serious. "Kono." He brought his face close to hers, so that his lips brushed lightly against her cheek. "Hey. I'm sorry you were put into danger today."

Kono looked up. She recognized these words – as if they were something out of a long-lost dream.

Steve continued in the same low voice, "We care for each other like a family, so please know we'll always do everything we can to protect you."

Kono laughed softly, and the hot tears that she had managed to hold back all day finally broke through the front lines, silently spilling over her lashes and unabashedly down her cheeks.

She remembered that day so clearly – when her days with 5-0 were just beginning, when she was still on the brink of some of the most exciting times of her life, when she knew almost blissfully nothing about the Yakuza or of Wo Fat.

_Or of Steve McGarrett. _

And Steve had told her the same phrase that day – standing in front of her in his crisp Navy uniform and hat tucked under his arm, his eyes locked as intensely on hers as they were now. It dawned on Kono; from then at the very beginning, through everything they had been through in between, and finally here at the end of it all – Steve had always been there. Always standing there in front of her, keeping the promise he'd made her that day.

Then Kono remembered being held hostage by the Russians that day, how anxious she'd felt handcuffed to that chair and constantly toeing the line being life and death, how there were moments when she'd started to doubt that she would get out of there alive. She and Steve had gotten out of it then.

_And we're going to get out of this now._

She smiled as Steve wiped a tear off of her cheek, his laser-focused gaze so insistently trained on her that it seemed like she was the only thing in the world he could see.

Kono placed a palm on his warm cheek and kissed him lightly on the lips. "We're going to get out of this," she repeated aloud, softly.

"That's right." Steve kissed her back, the tension in his furrowed brow finally easing a little. "That's right. That's my girl." He rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.

"Steve McGarrett?"

Kono and Steve looked up simultaneously at the HPD officer who had walked over. The small Asian woman, with her hair pulled back into a bun and a kinder face than most, almost looked sorry at having to interrupt.

"Yeah."

"Your paperwork is complete. Can you come with me?"

Steve's head whirled back around to face Kono as the officer helped pull Steve to his feet. His eyes were wide with regret.

_No. Don't leave, _Kono wanted to say, but didn't. _Don't leave._

Instead, Kono only got to her feet too, folding her arms and giving Steve a small, grim smile. "Don't worry, Boss," she said, in a brave attempt at keeping her voice from shaking. And even though 5-0 was disbanded, she couldn't seem to drop the long-time term of endearment. "Danny and I will figure this out. You'll see us again soon."

Steve nodded, the muscles in his face tensing as he clenched his jaw. He opened his mouth to say something, but the officer was already leading him away.

And then, with a final disappearance around the corner, Steve McGarrett was gone.

* * *

(A/N) AHH! How was it? Do you hate me? I hope you don't, and that you liked it. haha. Please feel free to let me know what you thought! I'm thinking about a sequel when Season 2 starts up or maybe a happy epilogue chapter to wrap this fic up when our favorite couple finally gets out of trouble (and you know they will :]). So once again, it was absolutely amazing writing for you guys. Thank you AGAIN for reading this and sticking with me through all of this... words can't express how much I appreciate you all. See you in the fall!


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